![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
esp_dragonv2Fandom: Arcane: League of Legends
Summary: Out of all the injuries Viktor and Jayce had gotten over the years, Jayce being attacked by a dog one night wasn't one they had ever accounted for.
Contains: Werewolf!Jayce, Viktor/Jayce
Notes: Rotating around fics at the moment, but I finally finished another Arcane one, haha.
Rating: G
Genre: General
Word count: 7,954
Status: Complete
Viktor frowned as he followed the nurse into the medical bay. As soon as he did, he heard a sharp yelp of pain. Even so, the sound made him relax, exhaling in relief as he was lead in the direction of the yelper.
Jayce looked up and grinned at Viktor as he approached, though that might have been so Jayce wouldn't focus on what the nurse was currently doing with his arm. There were the bloodied remnants of Jayce's sleeve next to them, and while Jayce was unharmed enough to sit up on his own and grin, his arm looked like a mess even with most of the blood cleaned away. Some parallel slashes across his forearm, the middle ones deeper in comparison, while further up his arm was a half-oval of smaller puncture wounds.
"I'm fine, Viktor, it's just a scrape. It looks worse than it is."
"I would call that more than a scrape." Viktor eyed the still bleeding wounds. "Out of all our laboratory incidents, I was not expecting an animal to be the one that required stitches." Even if the nurse hadn't told him what had happened, it was clear from the wounds that it had been a large animal that had grabbed Jayce.
"That's because I wasn't prepared!"
"Hm, true." They'd had numerous mishaps over the years, but they'd largely come out of them unharmed, thanks to bracing themselves to get out of the way quickly, or having protection while they tested the reactions.
"You didn't have to come," Jayce said as the nurse continued to treat his wound. He sounded just as convincing when he winced afterwards, and Viktor stiffled his sigh.
"Would you have stayed at the lab if you had heard?"
Jayce only hesitated for a second, before he let out a soft chuckle. "No."
"Then I see no reason for that statement." The answer was obvious that there was no need to say it.
"All right, all right. Just...don't get attacked by a dog? Any time soon."
"I'll keep my eye out for any dogs on my long walks around the city," Viktor said dryly, making Jayce laugh.
"That should be it," the nurse said, leaning back. "You need to keep your bandage clean and come back to get the wounds checked and the bandage changed in a few days."
"Thank you," Jayce said as he stood up. "See? In a couple of days, it'll be like it had never happened."
It would have been nice if it hadn't happened in the first place, but this would do. Jayce was able to walk out under his own power afterwards, and that was what mattered.
* * *
Viktor heard a soft hiss and he looked over to see Jayce flexing his hand. "What's wrong?" There were no sharp objects there, and Viktor couldn't see any blood.
But it was the same arm that had been attacked a few days prior. He went over, seeing how Jayce moved. Jayce held the arm closer to him than usual, but he didn't appear too protective over it.
He frowned. "Have you changed your bandages?" Viktor asked as he walked over. Aside from the small pain, Viktor hadn't been aware of any other symptoms Jayce had expressed, but they had been busy so he might have missed them.
Jayce blinked, extending his arm slowly, as if remembering he had one. "Should I? It doesn't hurt."
"Let me see."
When Jayce pulled his sleeve back, Viktor could see a few singe holes from their latest failed prototype, and while blood trailed around the bandage, clearly marking where Jayce had been originally hurt, the blood was dark and dry. It was better than what it could have been.
"I'll get some water," Viktor said, turning towards the sink.
"It's fine? I can see the nurses afterwards."
"And what are the chances we'll get so engrossed into our work that we forget?" Viktor knew their habits too well, and he'd seen in the Undercity what untreated infection could do to a body.
"Well..." Jayce said as Viktor filled a small basin. "Here, let me..." Jayce reached over to lift up the basin.
"I notice you didn't answer the question," Viktor said as they walked towards the closest table.
"I think I did." Jayce nodded towards the basin.
Hm. ...Yes, he had.
Viktor cleared the table of blueprints and journals so Jayce could set the basin there. They sat down, and Viktor motioned towards the table, Jayce obliging him and setting his injured arm there so Viktor could see it better.
Jayce barely winced as Viktor pulled the bandages free, and he could see why. He cleaned Jayce's arm, but the bandages hadn't stuck to Jayce's wound, his skin almost completely unbroken under the dried blood. The only hint that something happened were a few light-coloured scars, but they looked long healed. Months old.
"I told you it was just a scrape. Nothing to worry about."
Jayce had healed far too fast. But maybe...that was just how it was in Piltover. Jayce had no underlying health conditions as far as Viktor was aware of, nothing that would slow down his healing, and Jayce would have had access to more effective medicines. Maybe that was all it was.
"I suppose..." Healing surprisingly fast was far better than healing not at all.
* * *
"Dammit-!" Viktor heard, a second before a clatter.
"Again?" he mused, peering over to see what Jayce had dropped now: one of their old prototypes, not something they were currently working on. Not that it mattered - if it had broken, they would remake it, and better next time.
"Yeah..." Jayce sighed, crouching to pick it up with his left hand. Hm.
"Is your arm bothering you?" Jayce tended to be right-handed when he picked things up, and the only reason Viktor could think of for Jayce to suddenly switch was if the wound from the animal attack was flaring up.
"I guess?" Jayce set the prototype down and massaged his arm. "But that was a few weeks ago. Why would I suddenly feel it again now?"
"Unfortunately, bodies can just decide differently," Viktor said with a sigh, adjusting his grip on his cane. "Just try not to use it for now and see if it feels better later."
Jayce nodded. "Yeah, all right."
* * *
The next moving, Viktor heard the lab door creak open, and then a sigh. The fact he had enough time to raise his head before Jayce said anything was a sign in itself that something was wrong.
And, well. "You look terrible." Jayce's hair was a mess, his shoulders slumped, dark shadows under his eyes. "Did you sleep at all last night?"
"I think - maybe?" Jayce grimaced at the light coming in from the window, his voice rough. "I must have, since I had the weirdest dreams."
"Oh?"
"I don't... I was chasing something? That's all I can remember now. Something out of reach."
Ah, that was it: stress. "The competition is just around the corner." It would make sense their work was starting to follow him into sleep, when it already consumed their every waking moment.
"Yeah, that's probably it."
Viktor watched as Jayce stumbled around the lab for a minute or two, but when it became clear Jayce was in no danger of tripping over his own feet, Viktor started concentrating on his plans again.
Once they had finished with the competition, they could rest as much as they wanted.
Until they had a new deadline, anyway.
* * *
Viktor frowned as he and Jayce ate lunch. "Are you all right?" Jayce had eaten his lunch in merely two bites.
"I guess the lack of sleep made me hungry?" Jayce shrugged, but Viktor could see how his gaze drifted to Viktor's meal.
He sighed, pushing his plate towards Jayce.
"What? No, that's yours," Jayce said, pushing his plate back.
"And you apparently need it more than I do." It was only one meal, and he'd had breakfast - he wasn't so sure about Jayce.
"Then hooow about we go down to the cafe to pick up more food instead?"
Viktor recognised the stubborn set to Jayce's jaw, the squaring of his shoulders - making sure Viktor ate was one of the few things Jayce didn't move on (unless they had both forgotten to eat).
He sighed again, taking his plate back. "All right." Though it was slightly...strange to have Jayce watching him eat.
* * *
Viktor looked over, vaguely bemused when he felt Jayce place his hand onto his shoulder. While Jayce was rather free with his physical touch, there was usually an intent to it, usually being caught in the moment of their theories being correct, or as a greeting or goodbye. Not usually when they were just walking down the corridor to get more food.
Jayce wasn't leaning his weight on him, so it was as if he was just making sure Viktor was still there, but Viktor still kept an eye on him. Jayce looked better than he had this morning, more alert in the very least.
"What is it?"
Ah, it hadn't taken long for Jayce to notice. "How are you feeling?"
"Better, now that I've got some food in me."
Maybe it was something new. If it had been an infection, it would have set in within days, not weeks. And maybe Viktor's mind was just so used to picking apart every little hint that he could see that he was doing it to Jayce as well.
"Hm, enough that you don't need more?"
"...No, I could definitely eat more," Jayce said with a sheepish grin.
Maybe his newfound hunger was also tied to his worry about the competition? That would make sense.
"We're nearly there in any case," Viktor said, eyeing his route through the gathered students, and felt Jayce's hand tighten in a reassuring squeeze.
He hid his smile as Jayce stepped forward to make sure there was enough space for him to move around easily. Yes, Jayce may be a little ill, but he was still himself.
* * *
"-and if we do that we can..."
Viktor listened, watching Jayce's expression go little blank, his eyes focusing on nothing. When the pause lasted more than five seconds, Viktor shook his head. "You should go home." It was clear that the day was catching up with him.
"N-no, I can stay-"
"You can barely stand," Viktor interrupted him, seeing him waver. The sun was barely still in the sky and Jayce was already like this. "Rest. Maybe you'll get better sleep tonight."
"I haven't been very useful today, sorry," Jayce said, sheepish.
"Nonsense. We all have bad days." Some more than most. "Tomorrow may be better. And that's why we're working together." So they could cover for each other.
Jayce smiled. "Yeah, you're right. Thanks, Viktor. I should..." His expression blanked again, except it didn't have the sleepy stillness it had before, a crease of pain furrowing his brow as he swayed for a dangerous second, before his knees buckled and he collapsed to the floor, barely missing the table.
"Jayce!" Viktor hurried over but he slowed as Jayce arched with a gasp, shuddering. That wasn't what made him pause. It was the low growl punctuating Jayce's gasps that made Viktor's hair at the back of his neck stand on end.
"Jayce...?" Viktor whispered, his eyes wide as he stared, trying to understand what he was seeing. Jayce wasn't just shuddering, but his muscles were twitching.
Changing.
Growing in size, and the slow tear of fabric was so loud in the lab. So many changes at once Viktor could barely keep track. Jayce's face extending to become snout-like. Hair (fur?) rippling out from his skin in waves. His hands curling into fists, almost becoming paws, claws at the end of each finger. The tail.
Almost wolf-like, except the proportions were wrong. Like someone had tried to breed a human and a wolf, with neither side dominantly showing.
Jayce pulled himself upright, but stayed on all fours, looking hunched over like a person, rather than naturally standing on all fours.
Questions stopped and started in Viktor's mind, interrupting each other. Of course Jayce wasn't all right, but was he himself? Or had more than his body changed?
Viktor must have made a sound or moved, because Jayce's attention snapped to him, and the growl returned as he sniffed the air.
Damn. One question Viktor hadn't wanted answered.
What could he do? The door was too far, and Jayce could outpace him before - like this, he was sure Jayce was even faster. And what would he do after that? Call the guards? They wouldn't know what had happened or who this was. They would shoot on sight.
The hextech they'd designed was closer. The claw could be strong enough to hold Jayce, but not for long, and that was if Jayce's weight didn't topple it instantly.
So long as he could keep it under control. Could he risk that? Could he trust their new adjustments meant no-one could be hurt by them?
Of course he did.
A bark, and Jayce had lowered himself down so that he was leaning on his elbows, his tail flicking from side to side.
Viktor hadn't anticipated Jayce being able to clear the room in a few bounds.
He hissed as Jayce slammed into him. He was just able to bring his cane up, holding onto either end, keeping Jayce's chest away from him as they fell back to the floor, Jayce's hands braced on either side of his shoulders.
Pushing Jayce's chest away didn't mean much when Jayce could reach over his cane, his fangs flashing towards Viktor's face.
Viktor braced himself.
Hot wetness against his cheek and forehead, breathing loud to his ears.
It happened again, and Viktor was able to open his eyes enough to see the inside of Jayce's mouth as he attempted to lick him again.
"Eugh," he said, grimacing, "stop that."
And Jayce did, moving back a step before he-
"Ow!"
-lay down on Viktor's lower half, twisting his leg. Pain shot up his leg and spine, making him lose his hold on his cane.
Jayce's reaction was immediate, backing off completely, a paw-hand catching on Viktor's cane and making it spin away across the floor.
"Well," Viktor said between gritted teeth as he sorted his leg into a less painful position, "you may not be all mentally there, but you've retained your personality at least." It was something.
He caught movement at the corner of his eye, seeing Jayce's tail wag, before Jayce walked away.
Picking up Viktor's cane in a paw-hand and bringing it back.
"Thank you," Viktor said as he took it back, seeing the thick pads in the centre of Jayce's hand and at the tips of his fingers. Jayce had picked the cane up like a person, not with his mouth, which meant...? Jayce was thinking more like a human than a dog?
Jayce crouched down, nudging Viktor's elbow.
"What is it?" Viktor asked as he got up, Jayce moving to his right side.
Jayce eyed him for a second and then exhaled, straightening.
Now that Viktor wasn't thinking he was being attacked... Jayce was even taller than before, a head higher than he had been, and Jayce peered down at him before nuzzling the top of Viktor's head with his snout. No matter what form or mental status, Jayce continued to reach out to him.
And... This was definitely real, wasn't it? The weight on Viktor's leg had been real, as was the tongue that had been on his face. Viktor reached out, and touched fur. It wasn't quite as fine as Jayce's hair, thicker and rougher like, well. Fur. Warm underneath, and Viktor could feel a heartbeat and movement as Jayce took in a breath.
"You can't talk right now, can you?" Viktor murmured, still making sure. Jayce would have attempted to communicate in a variety of different ways if he'd had the mind to. He didn't, that much was clear.
No reaction, like Viktor had expected.
"Jayce?" he said, looking up.
That made Jayce pause, looking down, his ears pricked towards Viktor.
"So you can recognise your name, even if you can't speak." Were Jayce's vocal chords even the same now? Even if they weren't, Jayce would have tried if he was thinking.
But now what? "Do you think this is permanent?" Jayce wouldn't answer, he knew that, but Viktor still wanted to voice his thoughts, try and sort them into some kind of order.
A change like this... There was no reason for it. Jayce hadn't been near the hexcore, so then what had caused it?
...Hadn't been near the hexcore...? Viktor glanced across the room, seeing the hexcore hovering in its usual space.
Jayce had changed, transformed, but.
He hadn't died immediately after like the plants they'd tested.
Viktor pressed his hand to Jayce's chest, double-checking, and yes, Jayce's heartbeat was still strong and stable.
Jayce had retained the majority of his personality as well, though not his language skills.
If they could figure out what had caused this, if they found out if this transformation was permanent or not, or how to localise it to a certain area of the body and hold it there and to keep the entirety of the personality and mental facilities...
It could be something they could use for himself.
But first, they needed to see if they could change Jayce back. He wouldn't be able to do this himself, and he much preferred Jayce as he was before.
"How do you feel about blood tests?" Viktor asked, studying Jayce's reaction.
Which was to give him a small headtilt, and then look towards Viktor's corner of the lab.
He smiled at that as he started moving in that direction. Jayce had some of his memories intact as well.
Over time, Viktor had taken over that corner to check his bloodwork, because it was just easier to do it himself than to bother the nurses at strange times, or having to ask or explain before it was done.
And he was even more thankful for it now, since otherwise it would have meant attempting to traverse around the Academy with Jayce, and getting tests and results while trying to hide from nurses and doctors.
Viktor prepared the area with ease, Jayce standing next to him, watching him work.
He glanced at Jayce from the corner of his eyes as he collected what he needed. "Could you bring a chair ove..." Hm. His eyes went down to Jayce's legs. Would he be able to sit like that? His back legs had shortened and bent, while his feet had extended, to become more like a dog's.
Jayce did as he asked, grabbing another stool and perched on the edge, impeding neither his tail nor legs. Well, that was good to know.
"Could you put your arm on the table?" Viktor asked, picking up the disinfectant.
He reached over when he heard the soft thump, then paused.
Right. Jayce was entirely more hairier than he had been earlier.
He grabbed a knife instead, shaving the inner area of Jayce's elbow while Jayce sniffed at his work.
"I need a clear patch of skin to find your vein," Viktor said. And the fur could be something else he could test. He gathered it up and slid them into a different vial.
The tourniquet fit around Jayce's arm and Viktor poked around his inner elbow. "Your veins are still placed like a human's." He would take all the similarities that he could find.
Though it was different compared to trying to find his own.
He found the right vein and picked up a needle and tube, hearing Jayce's growl, his arm pulling back.
Huh. Was Jayce wary of needles? "It won't hurt that much," Viktor said, sliding the needle in before Jayce could move any further.
A louder growl, Jayce's hand clenching for a second.
Viktor attached the vial to the needle's tube, exhaling when red blood flowed through. It didn't necessarily mean Jayce was still human, but it was better than if he'd suddenly began bleeding green.
It didn't take long for the vial to fill, and Viktor held a cotton ball to Jayce's wound while he grabbed a plaster to cover it.
He pulled the cotton ball away, the plaster ready, and frowned.
There was no wound. The blood was dry and it was as if a needle had never been there.
Just like the dog bite the month before.
Could that have been the cause? Something latent in Jayce's body, until there was some trigger.
It was only a hypothesis, a theory.
He would be able to narrow down possible options through testing.
It didn't take long to set up all the tests, and as Viktor saw the reactions begin, he grabbed a journal, flipping through it to see what was in it. One that was nearly empty that he'd kept in reserve with the intention of developing a new idea.
He starting making notes. Everything he could remember, he wrote down. The date, the transformation. "What time would you say this occurred?" he asked, not expecting an answer.
Not a verbal one, anyway.
Viktor barely looked at the clock in the lab, and the times he did, it was to check if it was time to eat. Even then, it was usually Jayce who reminded him, or his stomach.
Jayce lifted his head, looking out the window.
Hm. "Yes, that's a good point," Viktor said, rubbing his jaw as he thought. The sun had been setting when Jayce had transformed, so that would narrow down the time frame a lot.
Jayce rumbled, his tail hitting the table as he wagged his tail, and he leaned in to rest his head on Viktor's shoulder with a sigh.
It was...strange, to be this close to anything resembling canine, to see the fangs just visible under Jayce's lips. Dogs in the Undercity were more used as only guard dogs and while Viktor knew more people in Piltover had dogs as pets, he continued to see the dogs around the Academy, patrolling with the guards, alert and aggressive, ready to attack as soon as they were ordered.
Jayce clearly was not, happy to stay where he was.
Changed physically, but he was still the same, nevertheless.
What else had happened around sunset? Had there been any hint of a potential trigger? Viktor looked around the lab, Jayce shifting so he could continue leaning on Viktor.
If it had been in the lab, that meant Viktor had been exposed as well, but he hadn't transformed.
They had... He had told Jayce to go to bed, as he'd been tired and distracted.
For the entire day. For the entire day and even the day before, Jayce had been affected by something.
Had it started with Jayce's arm hurting?
More clues, more hints.
Viktor turned the page, writing 'Symptoms' at the top, and listing everything he could remember.
A new page, a new header, a new list, over and over as Viktor tried to catalogue everything.
He exhaled when Jayce finally removed his head from his shoulder. While Jayce hadn't put his full weight on him, he had still leaned quite heavily there.
Viktor did look across when he heard the skitter of his vials being moved, Jayce nudging them with a paw-hand.
"Ah, thank you." He hadn't realised the time.
Another new page for results.
A little while later, Viktor frowned. "You're still human." According to the results. There was some variance, and it was hard to tell if that was due to the transformation or if that was merely Jayce's own idiosyncrasies.
It was a start, and once (if) Jayce transformed back, they would need to take a baseline.
Viktor sighed, leaning back after noting the final result. By themselves, it was only part of a picture, and he would need to see what the trend was over time.
He tapped his pen to paper, Jayce watching him.
"I don't suppose you mind me drawing you?" he mused, turning to a new page. He needed to study the differences between his stature.
Jayce perked up, his tail wagging softly from side to side.
"I take it that means yes?" Viktor wasn't sure, but Jayce didn't turn away, so Viktor began drawing.
It was different so openly staring at Jayce as he drew, compared to seeing Jayce in the middle of something and grabbing the posture or expression, or drawing as his mind wandered and only realising what he'd drawn after the fact.
Jayce didn't seem so opposed to the attention.
What Viktor drew didn't make sense though, did it? Jayce had increased in body mass, his bone structure changing. With the plants, they had followed their own growth cycle and. Hm.
Where had their energy come when they grew so suddenly? Had they used up their body's resources before expiring? Was that that why they had withered immediately afterwards? There was nothing left to support their change, they had no energy left to live.
Was Jayce the same...?
But it had been a while now since the change and Jayce didn't appear to weakening.
Viktor reached over, and Jayce leaned into the touch, eyes closing. Warm, his heartbeat still strong. Jayce was breathing easy and didn't flinch from his touch like he was in pain.
Was it because it had a difference source that Jayce was less negatively affected by a major change?
More questions with less answers.
Viktor had drawn a few more sketches before Jayce moved, standing up as he stretched. Maybe he'd been sitting for too long.
This way, Viktor could see better how Jayce-
Jayce covered Viktor's wrist with a paw-hand, stopping his movement.
"What is it?"
Jayce guided Viktor's hand away from the paper, tugging the pen away from Viktor's fingers; he still had reasonable dexterity, even with the thick pads and fingers more curled than a human's. Then Jayce nudged Viktor's elbow like before, a hint of a whine filling the lab.
"I'm not sure I understand."
This time, Jayce wrapped a hand around Viktor's arm, tugging him to his feet, giving Viktor enough time to grab his cane as he stood up. Once Jayce saw he was steady, Jayce started guiding him towards...
Viktor slowed. "It's a little early for bed, don't you think?" They had a small bed at the back of the lab, for the many times when they stayed late and didn't have the energy to go to their room. "Though you're the one who had been falling asleep earlier."
"Hnnng." Jayce continued looking between Viktor and the bed.
"You go to sleep," Viktor said. "You need it more than I do." Far more. In fact, it was a surprise Jayce hadn't already crashed considering everything that had happened so far.
This time, Jayce let go, heading for the bed. Every other step, he checked over his shoulder, as if making sure Viktor was still there, or if he was following.
Jayce eventually reached his destination, the bed creaking under his bulk. He curled up there, though he placed himself so he could still watch Viktor.
"Sleep," Viktor said, sitting back down.
Another grumble, but Jayce did close his eyes.
Viktor drew him like that, how Jayce's spine could curl around more and how he had placed his limbs. This leaned more towards canine and not how Jayce normally lay when he slept, which was a sprawl, as if trying to take up the entire bed for himself.
Viktor finished a few more sketches and then stood up, his leg and spine twinging in protest. He might have been sitting wrong for too long.
Jayce hadn't stirred, so he really had needed the rest. Would he need more food now, or had the earlier meals been enough?
Hm. Maybe now was a good time to get some extra food, just in case.
* * *
Viktor leaned on his cane as he dug into his pocket, trying to find his lab key. It had been a quick trip to the kitchen and back, now that more students had gone to bed, and he swiped the card over the rea-
A large shape loomed between the opening crack and Viktor straightened, mind racing, trying to remember if anyone else had been near him or on the way to the lab.
"Get back," he hissed as he hurried inside, the shape disappearing. If someone had seen Jayce before they figured out how to turn him back...
Jayce was in his space as soon as he stepped over the threshold, the door closing behind him, nosing around his head.
"I'm fi-ggh." It was hard to speak when someone tried to put his nose in his mouth. And it was hard to push Jayce away when both his hands were occupied. "Jayce."
Jayce stopped, though he didn't move away, still checking on him.
"I thought you might be feeling hungry again after everything that had happened," Viktor said, lifting the plate up for Jayce to see.
Jayce glanced at the plate, then turned his attention back to Viktor, trying to bury his nose into Viktor's neck.
"Not yet?" Though... "Unless you wish to share?"
Jayce perked up and Viktor felt his tail wagging, making him snort. "I should have realised that was the reason. All right, we'll both eat then."
Jayce took the plate and Viktor followed, staying back enough that he wouldn't be hit by Jayce's tail. Along the way, he picked up his journal and pen as Jayce put the plate down.
As they began to eat, Viktor began writing more notes, but paused at a soft growl. He looked up just in time to see Jayce reach over, placing his hand over Viktor's journal and dragged it away.
He set his pen down, amusement tugging at his lips. "All right, I remember now." In apology, he started eating the sandwich. Jayce had made it an unofficial rule to not work while eating, because if they did, the food was always forgotten and left when they eventually concentrated on their work instead.
Jayce huffed, watching him, and then with his tail wagging, seemed to just inhale his sandwich in one go again.
It took Viktor a bit longer than that, but Jayce did slide his journal back to him afterwards.
Hmm, rest, food, and it had been some time since the last results. "Would you object to another blood test?"
Jayce stood up and went to the table, waiting perfectly.
Even without words, it was still easy to understand him.
Jayce didn't flinch as badly compared to the first time, and then they were back to waiting for results. As soon as he was done, Jayce was nudging his shoulder again, trying to get him to move.
He raised an eyebrow, his hand moving towards his journal. "Are you trying to distract me?"
Jayce looked away, but he couldn't stop his tail wagging, though Viktor wasn't sure what that meant.
"But... I suppose," Viktor said as he stood up. "There is only so much I can do while we wait for the results. What do you propose?"
Jayce's attention went back to the bed.
"You are rather insistent, aren't you?" Viktor stepped away from the table - maybe he could continue working on their project in the meantime. "I'm not that ti-"
His leg buckled, and while his cane kept him upright, it slid across the floor. The only reason why he didn't follow it was because of Jayce's arm wrapped around his torso.
They didn't move for a few seconds, Viktor catching his breath against the throbbing pain in his leg, feeling Jayce's rumble at his back. He'd been so focused on Jayce he'd been ignoring his leg.
"Maybe...a proper rest for now is what we both need," he said, gritting his teeth.
Jayce rumbled, slowly letting him go.
He could stand, yes, though the distance to the bed became a whole lot bigger. His spine was fine for now. He should manage.
Jayce stayed close with every step, with every pause.
Viktor exhaled when they reached the bed, and just sat there, letting his muscles relax.
When he eventually eased himself down, Jayce curled up next to him, not quite pressing up against him, but still close.
Ah, of course.
Viktor shuffled back, towards the wall, and Jayce moved along with him. With Jayce's new size, he took up even more space than before.
Viktor waited as the pain settled into something more manageable, but then narrowed his eyes at Jayce, who was watching him, and then around at the walls bracketing the bed.
"You've trapped me here."
Two thumps of Jayce's tail hitting the bed, before Jayce reached over and lay an arm over Viktor's shoulders with a sigh.
Definitely trapped him in place. He could have managed sliding to the foot of the bed to get off, but with Jayce's arm where it was now, that would disturb him enough to wake up.
But... For now, he didn't need to go anywhere.
He couldn't sleep however, while Jayce dozed off, the pain enough to continually make itself known.
Where the bed was positioned meant Viktor could see the clock on the wall, see the minutes pass by.
After about an hour, Viktor huffed, turning his attention back to Jayce. Jayce's breathing was deep and even, and when Viktor eased Jayce's paw-hand off himself, Jayce grumbled, tucking the paw-hand away as he curled up further.
Fast asleep, then.
He slid down the bed and exhaled as he sat up. His spine was unhappy, but it always was. When he stood up, he leaned on the bed as he moved around it, collecting his cane.
The sound of the cane hitting the floor was as loud as it ever was, but Jayce didn't wake up and Viktor made his way over to his table.
The results were different from last time. Hm. Still human, but other values were different. Jayce was still changing. Back to being human, or something else?
Viktor wrote down the results, but paused at a soft growl, the bed creaking as Jayce stood up.
"I should have figured the sound of pen on paper is what would rouse you." Moving around could mean anything, but pen on paper meant he was working.
Jayce buried his nose into Viktor's neck when he approached, paw-hands braced on either side of Viktor's journal.
"Yes, yes, I know I'm not supposed to, but I'm worried about you." He was sure Jayce could understand that.
"Hrrrr." Jayce nuzzled Viktor's cheek before licking it once and then stepping away.
Viktor expected him to sit in the other chair, but when Jayce didn't, he looked across to see Jayce going back to bed. Hm, so long as Jayce was reassu-
He watched as Jayce bent down, and began dragging the bed over to them.
"What are you doing?" Though it was rather obvious what. "Why?" was the clearer question.
A few other tables were moved out of the way as Jayce continued dragging the bed towards Viktor.
"I thought you didn't want me to work?" Viktor said as Jayce moved the bed directly behind Viktor's stool.
Jayce rumbled, then looked at where the bed used to be as he swept an arm out, encompassing the space between Viktor's table and the bed.
"Yes, I suppose that's a long distance when my body isn't cooperating." And this way, Jayce would know he wouldn't fall on the way to bed. To the floor, at least.
"Then would you mind giving another blood sample?"
While Jayce grumbled, he moved to his chair, presenting his arm, making Viktor smile.
* * *
The night passed in a haze of blood tests and results, a variety of changes that never quite settled, no matter what. There had been naps in between, but Viktor's mind refused to settle either, waking him up every so often with a new thought, idea, or worry.
There was hope in the uncertainty though, that Jayce wasn't going to stay like that, there was still a chance of changing back. Somehow.
Viktor's body demanded sleep, his pen slipping in places, staying in others, leaving ink blots over his notes. He needed to finish these results. Even though...
He squinted. Could he read these later? Did he need to rewrite... What were the numbers he was writing down again?
He was fairly sure the numbers were clear, and he jolted at a pressure on his shoulder, Jayce's paw-hand in his periphery. "What did you find?"
After Jayce had slept for a number of hours, Jayce seemed to be enjoying investigating the lab. Which had been fine, because it kept Jayce busy, and he wasn't attempting to leave the lab.
It did mean that there was now a pile next to Viktor, a variety of lost loose paper, journals, prototypes and pens that Jayce had found.
So many pens.
All empty, which was why they had been lost in the first place.
In between presenting what new item he'd found, Jayce came back to check on him, sometimes nudging him to go to bed.
Jayce didn't give him anything, nor did he nuzzle at Viktor's cheek either. He looked up to see Jayce's ears were flat to his head, his eyes distant and unfocused as he shifted from foot to foot.
That was different.
"Jayce, what's wrong?"
Jayce groaned low, huffing.
Different, but also familiar. Hopefully.
If Jayce was turning back...
Ah.
"Can you get into bed?" Viktor asked, Jayce looking at him in confusion, not moving. While it was good if Jayce really was transforming back, it did present the immediate complications of if he did, he would be undressed on the cold floor, and Viktor had no easy way of dragging him to bed while he recovered.
Jayce rumbled, climbing into bed. It meant Viktor would have a perfect view as Jayce tr-
Jayce reached over, wrapped an arm around Viktor's waist, and pulled him to bed.
"I would have preferred an overall view," Viktor said, muffled by Jayce's fur, but considering how Jayce had acted the rest of the night, he must have wanted VIktor's comfort during this. "But all right."
Jayce was a furnace. He always was but now he was almost burning to the touch, and that was something Viktor had missed taking note of. Had Jayce's temperature been raising all the time, or had it just happened within the past hour?
This close, Viktor could hearJayce's bones shifting, grinding against each other as they moved. Jayce whined, holding him close as he shuddered.
Also this close, Viktor couldn't see how far along the transformation was until Jayce's fur disappeared, sucked into his skin as quickly as it had emerged.
Were they under his skin now, waiting until the next transformation, if there would be one, or were they gone completely?
Jayce...looked exactly the same as before, down to the 5 o'clock shadow he'd been sporting recently. Then the baseline before the change stayed the same afterwards?
Viktor could have attempted to think about it more, but his brain refused, and he closed his eyes, leaning in, hearing Jayce's strong heartbeat. Jayce was human again. That was what mattered.
...Though he should take another blood sample to see how Jayce's bloodwork was like currently.
When he peered at Jayce's elbow, it didn't appear as if it had been prodded the entire night, though that could have also been carryover from the transformation if there had been no marks there either. The scars were there also clear, and somehow more obvious than before.
"Nnng." Jayce grimaced as his hand swept up to run it through VIktor's hair.
"Jayce...?" Viktor said, studying him.
Jayce's eyes fluttered open, focusing on him. "Vik-?" He grimaced, clearing his throat. "Why do I feel terrible?"
Words. Viktor hugged him, trembling overtaking his body now that he could relax. Jayce was back.
Jayce hugged him back, breathing in deeply. "Hey, what happened?" He was silent for a second as he shifted. "...What happened to my clothes?"
No memory of the entire night?
Except with how Jayce jerked back, his eyes wide as he stared, Viktor may have said that out loud.
"You lost your clothes when you transformed into some kind of wolf-hybrid," Viktor said.
Jayce didn't say anything, then placed his hand on Viktor's forehead, as if he were checking for a- "You sure that wasn't a dream?"
Viktor scowled. He'd spent far too long and so much energy cataloguing everything for it to be a dream.
But if Jayce had presented him with only a journal of notes, would he believe him either?
No.
He would want proof.
"Then where are your clothes, Jayce, if I dreamed it?" Viktor said. "Why is the bed here, instead of the corner? Do you think I did that in my sleep?"
He looked down between them. "Why is the bed covered in your hair?" While the fur on Jayce's skin had disappeared during the transformation, what he had shed before that had stayed. Thankfully.
"Uh..." Jayce pushed himself up onto his elbows, looking around the lab, his gaze falling on the torn clothing still heaped on the ground. "That's...why I feel so tired?"
"Probably," Viktor said, reaching over to jot a few more notes in his journal.
"How long was I transformed for? And have you slept at all?"
"The entire night." Whatever time it was now. The last time he'd documented the time was at 3am? "I've had naps."
Then Viktor reached for the needle and vial.
"Hey, hey, what's that for?"
Right. Jayce was wary of them. "Bloodwork," Vikor said. "Been keeping track while you were transformed. Won't hurt if you don't move."
Jayce's hand closed over Viktor's. "How about I take a sample and you sleep?"
Viktor squinted at him, even as Jayce wavered in place. "Do you even know how to find a vein?"
Jayce stilled, his eyes darting away for a second. "I can see it?"
Not good enough. "I'll do it. I need to see your bloodwork after the transformation."
"Viktor, are you s-"
"Yes."
Through habit, Viktor was able to draw some blood. Huh, Jayce's veins were consistent between the transformation as well.
"Viktor," Jayce said after Viktor had prepared the tests, "you need sleep."
Viktor squinted at him, but he wasn't entirely sure if that was because he was trying to focus on Jayce or because his eyes were trying to close.
He exhaled, crawling back into bed, Jayce wrapping an arm around him.
It felt good.
What it used to be. Should be. Even if transformed Jayce had tried the same.
"My notes are on the table," he mumbled as he drifted off.
* * *
Viktor grimaced when he woke up, his head throbbing at the bright sunlight streaming in through the lab window.
Lab win...?
The bed was normally out of direct sunlight and-
Ah.
Right.
Everything that had happened returned, and Viktor exhaled, closing his eyes again. No, it hadn't been a dream.
"Morning," he heard across the room. When Viktor opened his eyes again, Jayce was at the blackboard, a new set of calculations scrawled across there. He was also clothed, probably from the spare set they kept in the lab, in case of experiment mishaps. "How are you feeling?"
Viktor stared at him. "Me? What about you?" He wasn't the one who had transformed for most of the night.
The small smile on Jayce's face slipped as he leaned back against the blackboard. "I feel like myself but..." He looked down, flexing his hand. In his other hand, he held Viktor's journal. "I think I'm remembering flashes of what happened last night. Nothing concrete, but there's something there."
"Good," VIktor said as he sat up.
"I took down the results," Jayce said, lifting up Viktor's journal, "but ah, I wasn't able to take more samples."
"It's fine. We can do them now." It wouldn't show a smooth trend, but it was still information to track and follow.
"You still haven't said how you're doing," Jayce said as he walked over, rolling up his sleeve.
No, he hadn't, had he? "Better, now that you're back to your usual self, and after some rest." His brain was clearer now, able to hold onto an idea without being distracted by a new thought.
"So, what should we do?" Jayce said, sitting down at the table as Viktor moved over to it.
"Breakfast first," Viktor said, inspecting his table and tools. "Then we can start working on finding out more."
He looked across to see Jayce's look of surprise.
"What?"
"You, uh, feeling okay, Viktor?"
"Are you?" Viktor said, looking him up and down. "I'm not the one who transformed his entire body twice in the space of a night. You need to renew your reserves. Did you have breakfast?" He would rather not have Jayce back, to have him then die in his arms.
"I was reading your notes!"
"And we can talk about them. After breakfast," he said as he collected what he needed.
There were things they needed to do first, but after that, they could begin figuring out what had happened.
Summary: Out of all the injuries Viktor and Jayce had gotten over the years, Jayce being attacked by a dog one night wasn't one they had ever accounted for.
Contains: Werewolf!Jayce, Viktor/Jayce
Notes: Rotating around fics at the moment, but I finally finished another Arcane one, haha.
Rating: G
Genre: General
Word count: 7,954
Status: Complete
Viktor frowned as he followed the nurse into the medical bay. As soon as he did, he heard a sharp yelp of pain. Even so, the sound made him relax, exhaling in relief as he was lead in the direction of the yelper.
Jayce looked up and grinned at Viktor as he approached, though that might have been so Jayce wouldn't focus on what the nurse was currently doing with his arm. There were the bloodied remnants of Jayce's sleeve next to them, and while Jayce was unharmed enough to sit up on his own and grin, his arm looked like a mess even with most of the blood cleaned away. Some parallel slashes across his forearm, the middle ones deeper in comparison, while further up his arm was a half-oval of smaller puncture wounds.
"I'm fine, Viktor, it's just a scrape. It looks worse than it is."
"I would call that more than a scrape." Viktor eyed the still bleeding wounds. "Out of all our laboratory incidents, I was not expecting an animal to be the one that required stitches." Even if the nurse hadn't told him what had happened, it was clear from the wounds that it had been a large animal that had grabbed Jayce.
"That's because I wasn't prepared!"
"Hm, true." They'd had numerous mishaps over the years, but they'd largely come out of them unharmed, thanks to bracing themselves to get out of the way quickly, or having protection while they tested the reactions.
"You didn't have to come," Jayce said as the nurse continued to treat his wound. He sounded just as convincing when he winced afterwards, and Viktor stiffled his sigh.
"Would you have stayed at the lab if you had heard?"
Jayce only hesitated for a second, before he let out a soft chuckle. "No."
"Then I see no reason for that statement." The answer was obvious that there was no need to say it.
"All right, all right. Just...don't get attacked by a dog? Any time soon."
"I'll keep my eye out for any dogs on my long walks around the city," Viktor said dryly, making Jayce laugh.
"That should be it," the nurse said, leaning back. "You need to keep your bandage clean and come back to get the wounds checked and the bandage changed in a few days."
"Thank you," Jayce said as he stood up. "See? In a couple of days, it'll be like it had never happened."
It would have been nice if it hadn't happened in the first place, but this would do. Jayce was able to walk out under his own power afterwards, and that was what mattered.
Viktor heard a soft hiss and he looked over to see Jayce flexing his hand. "What's wrong?" There were no sharp objects there, and Viktor couldn't see any blood.
But it was the same arm that had been attacked a few days prior. He went over, seeing how Jayce moved. Jayce held the arm closer to him than usual, but he didn't appear too protective over it.
He frowned. "Have you changed your bandages?" Viktor asked as he walked over. Aside from the small pain, Viktor hadn't been aware of any other symptoms Jayce had expressed, but they had been busy so he might have missed them.
Jayce blinked, extending his arm slowly, as if remembering he had one. "Should I? It doesn't hurt."
"Let me see."
When Jayce pulled his sleeve back, Viktor could see a few singe holes from their latest failed prototype, and while blood trailed around the bandage, clearly marking where Jayce had been originally hurt, the blood was dark and dry. It was better than what it could have been.
"I'll get some water," Viktor said, turning towards the sink.
"It's fine? I can see the nurses afterwards."
"And what are the chances we'll get so engrossed into our work that we forget?" Viktor knew their habits too well, and he'd seen in the Undercity what untreated infection could do to a body.
"Well..." Jayce said as Viktor filled a small basin. "Here, let me..." Jayce reached over to lift up the basin.
"I notice you didn't answer the question," Viktor said as they walked towards the closest table.
"I think I did." Jayce nodded towards the basin.
Hm. ...Yes, he had.
Viktor cleared the table of blueprints and journals so Jayce could set the basin there. They sat down, and Viktor motioned towards the table, Jayce obliging him and setting his injured arm there so Viktor could see it better.
Jayce barely winced as Viktor pulled the bandages free, and he could see why. He cleaned Jayce's arm, but the bandages hadn't stuck to Jayce's wound, his skin almost completely unbroken under the dried blood. The only hint that something happened were a few light-coloured scars, but they looked long healed. Months old.
"I told you it was just a scrape. Nothing to worry about."
Jayce had healed far too fast. But maybe...that was just how it was in Piltover. Jayce had no underlying health conditions as far as Viktor was aware of, nothing that would slow down his healing, and Jayce would have had access to more effective medicines. Maybe that was all it was.
"I suppose..." Healing surprisingly fast was far better than healing not at all.
"Dammit-!" Viktor heard, a second before a clatter.
"Again?" he mused, peering over to see what Jayce had dropped now: one of their old prototypes, not something they were currently working on. Not that it mattered - if it had broken, they would remake it, and better next time.
"Yeah..." Jayce sighed, crouching to pick it up with his left hand. Hm.
"Is your arm bothering you?" Jayce tended to be right-handed when he picked things up, and the only reason Viktor could think of for Jayce to suddenly switch was if the wound from the animal attack was flaring up.
"I guess?" Jayce set the prototype down and massaged his arm. "But that was a few weeks ago. Why would I suddenly feel it again now?"
"Unfortunately, bodies can just decide differently," Viktor said with a sigh, adjusting his grip on his cane. "Just try not to use it for now and see if it feels better later."
Jayce nodded. "Yeah, all right."
The next moving, Viktor heard the lab door creak open, and then a sigh. The fact he had enough time to raise his head before Jayce said anything was a sign in itself that something was wrong.
And, well. "You look terrible." Jayce's hair was a mess, his shoulders slumped, dark shadows under his eyes. "Did you sleep at all last night?"
"I think - maybe?" Jayce grimaced at the light coming in from the window, his voice rough. "I must have, since I had the weirdest dreams."
"Oh?"
"I don't... I was chasing something? That's all I can remember now. Something out of reach."
Ah, that was it: stress. "The competition is just around the corner." It would make sense their work was starting to follow him into sleep, when it already consumed their every waking moment.
"Yeah, that's probably it."
Viktor watched as Jayce stumbled around the lab for a minute or two, but when it became clear Jayce was in no danger of tripping over his own feet, Viktor started concentrating on his plans again.
Once they had finished with the competition, they could rest as much as they wanted.
Until they had a new deadline, anyway.
Viktor frowned as he and Jayce ate lunch. "Are you all right?" Jayce had eaten his lunch in merely two bites.
"I guess the lack of sleep made me hungry?" Jayce shrugged, but Viktor could see how his gaze drifted to Viktor's meal.
He sighed, pushing his plate towards Jayce.
"What? No, that's yours," Jayce said, pushing his plate back.
"And you apparently need it more than I do." It was only one meal, and he'd had breakfast - he wasn't so sure about Jayce.
"Then hooow about we go down to the cafe to pick up more food instead?"
Viktor recognised the stubborn set to Jayce's jaw, the squaring of his shoulders - making sure Viktor ate was one of the few things Jayce didn't move on (unless they had both forgotten to eat).
He sighed again, taking his plate back. "All right." Though it was slightly...strange to have Jayce watching him eat.
Viktor looked over, vaguely bemused when he felt Jayce place his hand onto his shoulder. While Jayce was rather free with his physical touch, there was usually an intent to it, usually being caught in the moment of their theories being correct, or as a greeting or goodbye. Not usually when they were just walking down the corridor to get more food.
Jayce wasn't leaning his weight on him, so it was as if he was just making sure Viktor was still there, but Viktor still kept an eye on him. Jayce looked better than he had this morning, more alert in the very least.
"What is it?"
Ah, it hadn't taken long for Jayce to notice. "How are you feeling?"
"Better, now that I've got some food in me."
Maybe it was something new. If it had been an infection, it would have set in within days, not weeks. And maybe Viktor's mind was just so used to picking apart every little hint that he could see that he was doing it to Jayce as well.
"Hm, enough that you don't need more?"
"...No, I could definitely eat more," Jayce said with a sheepish grin.
Maybe his newfound hunger was also tied to his worry about the competition? That would make sense.
"We're nearly there in any case," Viktor said, eyeing his route through the gathered students, and felt Jayce's hand tighten in a reassuring squeeze.
He hid his smile as Jayce stepped forward to make sure there was enough space for him to move around easily. Yes, Jayce may be a little ill, but he was still himself.
"-and if we do that we can..."
Viktor listened, watching Jayce's expression go little blank, his eyes focusing on nothing. When the pause lasted more than five seconds, Viktor shook his head. "You should go home." It was clear that the day was catching up with him.
"N-no, I can stay-"
"You can barely stand," Viktor interrupted him, seeing him waver. The sun was barely still in the sky and Jayce was already like this. "Rest. Maybe you'll get better sleep tonight."
"I haven't been very useful today, sorry," Jayce said, sheepish.
"Nonsense. We all have bad days." Some more than most. "Tomorrow may be better. And that's why we're working together." So they could cover for each other.
Jayce smiled. "Yeah, you're right. Thanks, Viktor. I should..." His expression blanked again, except it didn't have the sleepy stillness it had before, a crease of pain furrowing his brow as he swayed for a dangerous second, before his knees buckled and he collapsed to the floor, barely missing the table.
"Jayce!" Viktor hurried over but he slowed as Jayce arched with a gasp, shuddering. That wasn't what made him pause. It was the low growl punctuating Jayce's gasps that made Viktor's hair at the back of his neck stand on end.
"Jayce...?" Viktor whispered, his eyes wide as he stared, trying to understand what he was seeing. Jayce wasn't just shuddering, but his muscles were twitching.
Changing.
Growing in size, and the slow tear of fabric was so loud in the lab. So many changes at once Viktor could barely keep track. Jayce's face extending to become snout-like. Hair (fur?) rippling out from his skin in waves. His hands curling into fists, almost becoming paws, claws at the end of each finger. The tail.
Almost wolf-like, except the proportions were wrong. Like someone had tried to breed a human and a wolf, with neither side dominantly showing.
Jayce pulled himself upright, but stayed on all fours, looking hunched over like a person, rather than naturally standing on all fours.
Questions stopped and started in Viktor's mind, interrupting each other. Of course Jayce wasn't all right, but was he himself? Or had more than his body changed?
Viktor must have made a sound or moved, because Jayce's attention snapped to him, and the growl returned as he sniffed the air.
Damn. One question Viktor hadn't wanted answered.
What could he do? The door was too far, and Jayce could outpace him before - like this, he was sure Jayce was even faster. And what would he do after that? Call the guards? They wouldn't know what had happened or who this was. They would shoot on sight.
The hextech they'd designed was closer. The claw could be strong enough to hold Jayce, but not for long, and that was if Jayce's weight didn't topple it instantly.
So long as he could keep it under control. Could he risk that? Could he trust their new adjustments meant no-one could be hurt by them?
Of course he did.
A bark, and Jayce had lowered himself down so that he was leaning on his elbows, his tail flicking from side to side.
Viktor hadn't anticipated Jayce being able to clear the room in a few bounds.
He hissed as Jayce slammed into him. He was just able to bring his cane up, holding onto either end, keeping Jayce's chest away from him as they fell back to the floor, Jayce's hands braced on either side of his shoulders.
Pushing Jayce's chest away didn't mean much when Jayce could reach over his cane, his fangs flashing towards Viktor's face.
Viktor braced himself.
Hot wetness against his cheek and forehead, breathing loud to his ears.
It happened again, and Viktor was able to open his eyes enough to see the inside of Jayce's mouth as he attempted to lick him again.
"Eugh," he said, grimacing, "stop that."
And Jayce did, moving back a step before he-
"Ow!"
-lay down on Viktor's lower half, twisting his leg. Pain shot up his leg and spine, making him lose his hold on his cane.
Jayce's reaction was immediate, backing off completely, a paw-hand catching on Viktor's cane and making it spin away across the floor.
"Well," Viktor said between gritted teeth as he sorted his leg into a less painful position, "you may not be all mentally there, but you've retained your personality at least." It was something.
He caught movement at the corner of his eye, seeing Jayce's tail wag, before Jayce walked away.
Picking up Viktor's cane in a paw-hand and bringing it back.
"Thank you," Viktor said as he took it back, seeing the thick pads in the centre of Jayce's hand and at the tips of his fingers. Jayce had picked the cane up like a person, not with his mouth, which meant...? Jayce was thinking more like a human than a dog?
Jayce crouched down, nudging Viktor's elbow.
"What is it?" Viktor asked as he got up, Jayce moving to his right side.
Jayce eyed him for a second and then exhaled, straightening.
Now that Viktor wasn't thinking he was being attacked... Jayce was even taller than before, a head higher than he had been, and Jayce peered down at him before nuzzling the top of Viktor's head with his snout. No matter what form or mental status, Jayce continued to reach out to him.
And... This was definitely real, wasn't it? The weight on Viktor's leg had been real, as was the tongue that had been on his face. Viktor reached out, and touched fur. It wasn't quite as fine as Jayce's hair, thicker and rougher like, well. Fur. Warm underneath, and Viktor could feel a heartbeat and movement as Jayce took in a breath.
"You can't talk right now, can you?" Viktor murmured, still making sure. Jayce would have attempted to communicate in a variety of different ways if he'd had the mind to. He didn't, that much was clear.
No reaction, like Viktor had expected.
"Jayce?" he said, looking up.
That made Jayce pause, looking down, his ears pricked towards Viktor.
"So you can recognise your name, even if you can't speak." Were Jayce's vocal chords even the same now? Even if they weren't, Jayce would have tried if he was thinking.
But now what? "Do you think this is permanent?" Jayce wouldn't answer, he knew that, but Viktor still wanted to voice his thoughts, try and sort them into some kind of order.
A change like this... There was no reason for it. Jayce hadn't been near the hexcore, so then what had caused it?
...Hadn't been near the hexcore...? Viktor glanced across the room, seeing the hexcore hovering in its usual space.
Jayce had changed, transformed, but.
He hadn't died immediately after like the plants they'd tested.
Viktor pressed his hand to Jayce's chest, double-checking, and yes, Jayce's heartbeat was still strong and stable.
Jayce had retained the majority of his personality as well, though not his language skills.
If they could figure out what had caused this, if they found out if this transformation was permanent or not, or how to localise it to a certain area of the body and hold it there and to keep the entirety of the personality and mental facilities...
It could be something they could use for himself.
But first, they needed to see if they could change Jayce back. He wouldn't be able to do this himself, and he much preferred Jayce as he was before.
"How do you feel about blood tests?" Viktor asked, studying Jayce's reaction.
Which was to give him a small headtilt, and then look towards Viktor's corner of the lab.
He smiled at that as he started moving in that direction. Jayce had some of his memories intact as well.
Over time, Viktor had taken over that corner to check his bloodwork, because it was just easier to do it himself than to bother the nurses at strange times, or having to ask or explain before it was done.
And he was even more thankful for it now, since otherwise it would have meant attempting to traverse around the Academy with Jayce, and getting tests and results while trying to hide from nurses and doctors.
Viktor prepared the area with ease, Jayce standing next to him, watching him work.
He glanced at Jayce from the corner of his eyes as he collected what he needed. "Could you bring a chair ove..." Hm. His eyes went down to Jayce's legs. Would he be able to sit like that? His back legs had shortened and bent, while his feet had extended, to become more like a dog's.
Jayce did as he asked, grabbing another stool and perched on the edge, impeding neither his tail nor legs. Well, that was good to know.
"Could you put your arm on the table?" Viktor asked, picking up the disinfectant.
He reached over when he heard the soft thump, then paused.
Right. Jayce was entirely more hairier than he had been earlier.
He grabbed a knife instead, shaving the inner area of Jayce's elbow while Jayce sniffed at his work.
"I need a clear patch of skin to find your vein," Viktor said. And the fur could be something else he could test. He gathered it up and slid them into a different vial.
The tourniquet fit around Jayce's arm and Viktor poked around his inner elbow. "Your veins are still placed like a human's." He would take all the similarities that he could find.
Though it was different compared to trying to find his own.
He found the right vein and picked up a needle and tube, hearing Jayce's growl, his arm pulling back.
Huh. Was Jayce wary of needles? "It won't hurt that much," Viktor said, sliding the needle in before Jayce could move any further.
A louder growl, Jayce's hand clenching for a second.
Viktor attached the vial to the needle's tube, exhaling when red blood flowed through. It didn't necessarily mean Jayce was still human, but it was better than if he'd suddenly began bleeding green.
It didn't take long for the vial to fill, and Viktor held a cotton ball to Jayce's wound while he grabbed a plaster to cover it.
He pulled the cotton ball away, the plaster ready, and frowned.
There was no wound. The blood was dry and it was as if a needle had never been there.
Just like the dog bite the month before.
Could that have been the cause? Something latent in Jayce's body, until there was some trigger.
It was only a hypothesis, a theory.
He would be able to narrow down possible options through testing.
It didn't take long to set up all the tests, and as Viktor saw the reactions begin, he grabbed a journal, flipping through it to see what was in it. One that was nearly empty that he'd kept in reserve with the intention of developing a new idea.
He starting making notes. Everything he could remember, he wrote down. The date, the transformation. "What time would you say this occurred?" he asked, not expecting an answer.
Not a verbal one, anyway.
Viktor barely looked at the clock in the lab, and the times he did, it was to check if it was time to eat. Even then, it was usually Jayce who reminded him, or his stomach.
Jayce lifted his head, looking out the window.
Hm. "Yes, that's a good point," Viktor said, rubbing his jaw as he thought. The sun had been setting when Jayce had transformed, so that would narrow down the time frame a lot.
Jayce rumbled, his tail hitting the table as he wagged his tail, and he leaned in to rest his head on Viktor's shoulder with a sigh.
It was...strange, to be this close to anything resembling canine, to see the fangs just visible under Jayce's lips. Dogs in the Undercity were more used as only guard dogs and while Viktor knew more people in Piltover had dogs as pets, he continued to see the dogs around the Academy, patrolling with the guards, alert and aggressive, ready to attack as soon as they were ordered.
Jayce clearly was not, happy to stay where he was.
Changed physically, but he was still the same, nevertheless.
What else had happened around sunset? Had there been any hint of a potential trigger? Viktor looked around the lab, Jayce shifting so he could continue leaning on Viktor.
If it had been in the lab, that meant Viktor had been exposed as well, but he hadn't transformed.
They had... He had told Jayce to go to bed, as he'd been tired and distracted.
For the entire day. For the entire day and even the day before, Jayce had been affected by something.
Had it started with Jayce's arm hurting?
More clues, more hints.
Viktor turned the page, writing 'Symptoms' at the top, and listing everything he could remember.
A new page, a new header, a new list, over and over as Viktor tried to catalogue everything.
He exhaled when Jayce finally removed his head from his shoulder. While Jayce hadn't put his full weight on him, he had still leaned quite heavily there.
Viktor did look across when he heard the skitter of his vials being moved, Jayce nudging them with a paw-hand.
"Ah, thank you." He hadn't realised the time.
Another new page for results.
A little while later, Viktor frowned. "You're still human." According to the results. There was some variance, and it was hard to tell if that was due to the transformation or if that was merely Jayce's own idiosyncrasies.
It was a start, and once (if) Jayce transformed back, they would need to take a baseline.
Viktor sighed, leaning back after noting the final result. By themselves, it was only part of a picture, and he would need to see what the trend was over time.
He tapped his pen to paper, Jayce watching him.
"I don't suppose you mind me drawing you?" he mused, turning to a new page. He needed to study the differences between his stature.
Jayce perked up, his tail wagging softly from side to side.
"I take it that means yes?" Viktor wasn't sure, but Jayce didn't turn away, so Viktor began drawing.
It was different so openly staring at Jayce as he drew, compared to seeing Jayce in the middle of something and grabbing the posture or expression, or drawing as his mind wandered and only realising what he'd drawn after the fact.
Jayce didn't seem so opposed to the attention.
What Viktor drew didn't make sense though, did it? Jayce had increased in body mass, his bone structure changing. With the plants, they had followed their own growth cycle and. Hm.
Where had their energy come when they grew so suddenly? Had they used up their body's resources before expiring? Was that that why they had withered immediately afterwards? There was nothing left to support their change, they had no energy left to live.
Was Jayce the same...?
But it had been a while now since the change and Jayce didn't appear to weakening.
Viktor reached over, and Jayce leaned into the touch, eyes closing. Warm, his heartbeat still strong. Jayce was breathing easy and didn't flinch from his touch like he was in pain.
Was it because it had a difference source that Jayce was less negatively affected by a major change?
More questions with less answers.
Viktor had drawn a few more sketches before Jayce moved, standing up as he stretched. Maybe he'd been sitting for too long.
This way, Viktor could see better how Jayce-
Jayce covered Viktor's wrist with a paw-hand, stopping his movement.
"What is it?"
Jayce guided Viktor's hand away from the paper, tugging the pen away from Viktor's fingers; he still had reasonable dexterity, even with the thick pads and fingers more curled than a human's. Then Jayce nudged Viktor's elbow like before, a hint of a whine filling the lab.
"I'm not sure I understand."
This time, Jayce wrapped a hand around Viktor's arm, tugging him to his feet, giving Viktor enough time to grab his cane as he stood up. Once Jayce saw he was steady, Jayce started guiding him towards...
Viktor slowed. "It's a little early for bed, don't you think?" They had a small bed at the back of the lab, for the many times when they stayed late and didn't have the energy to go to their room. "Though you're the one who had been falling asleep earlier."
"Hnnng." Jayce continued looking between Viktor and the bed.
"You go to sleep," Viktor said. "You need it more than I do." Far more. In fact, it was a surprise Jayce hadn't already crashed considering everything that had happened so far.
This time, Jayce let go, heading for the bed. Every other step, he checked over his shoulder, as if making sure Viktor was still there, or if he was following.
Jayce eventually reached his destination, the bed creaking under his bulk. He curled up there, though he placed himself so he could still watch Viktor.
"Sleep," Viktor said, sitting back down.
Another grumble, but Jayce did close his eyes.
Viktor drew him like that, how Jayce's spine could curl around more and how he had placed his limbs. This leaned more towards canine and not how Jayce normally lay when he slept, which was a sprawl, as if trying to take up the entire bed for himself.
Viktor finished a few more sketches and then stood up, his leg and spine twinging in protest. He might have been sitting wrong for too long.
Jayce hadn't stirred, so he really had needed the rest. Would he need more food now, or had the earlier meals been enough?
Hm. Maybe now was a good time to get some extra food, just in case.
Viktor leaned on his cane as he dug into his pocket, trying to find his lab key. It had been a quick trip to the kitchen and back, now that more students had gone to bed, and he swiped the card over the rea-
A large shape loomed between the opening crack and Viktor straightened, mind racing, trying to remember if anyone else had been near him or on the way to the lab.
"Get back," he hissed as he hurried inside, the shape disappearing. If someone had seen Jayce before they figured out how to turn him back...
Jayce was in his space as soon as he stepped over the threshold, the door closing behind him, nosing around his head.
"I'm fi-ggh." It was hard to speak when someone tried to put his nose in his mouth. And it was hard to push Jayce away when both his hands were occupied. "Jayce."
Jayce stopped, though he didn't move away, still checking on him.
"I thought you might be feeling hungry again after everything that had happened," Viktor said, lifting the plate up for Jayce to see.
Jayce glanced at the plate, then turned his attention back to Viktor, trying to bury his nose into Viktor's neck.
"Not yet?" Though... "Unless you wish to share?"
Jayce perked up and Viktor felt his tail wagging, making him snort. "I should have realised that was the reason. All right, we'll both eat then."
Jayce took the plate and Viktor followed, staying back enough that he wouldn't be hit by Jayce's tail. Along the way, he picked up his journal and pen as Jayce put the plate down.
As they began to eat, Viktor began writing more notes, but paused at a soft growl. He looked up just in time to see Jayce reach over, placing his hand over Viktor's journal and dragged it away.
He set his pen down, amusement tugging at his lips. "All right, I remember now." In apology, he started eating the sandwich. Jayce had made it an unofficial rule to not work while eating, because if they did, the food was always forgotten and left when they eventually concentrated on their work instead.
Jayce huffed, watching him, and then with his tail wagging, seemed to just inhale his sandwich in one go again.
It took Viktor a bit longer than that, but Jayce did slide his journal back to him afterwards.
Hmm, rest, food, and it had been some time since the last results. "Would you object to another blood test?"
Jayce stood up and went to the table, waiting perfectly.
Even without words, it was still easy to understand him.
Jayce didn't flinch as badly compared to the first time, and then they were back to waiting for results. As soon as he was done, Jayce was nudging his shoulder again, trying to get him to move.
He raised an eyebrow, his hand moving towards his journal. "Are you trying to distract me?"
Jayce looked away, but he couldn't stop his tail wagging, though Viktor wasn't sure what that meant.
"But... I suppose," Viktor said as he stood up. "There is only so much I can do while we wait for the results. What do you propose?"
Jayce's attention went back to the bed.
"You are rather insistent, aren't you?" Viktor stepped away from the table - maybe he could continue working on their project in the meantime. "I'm not that ti-"
His leg buckled, and while his cane kept him upright, it slid across the floor. The only reason why he didn't follow it was because of Jayce's arm wrapped around his torso.
They didn't move for a few seconds, Viktor catching his breath against the throbbing pain in his leg, feeling Jayce's rumble at his back. He'd been so focused on Jayce he'd been ignoring his leg.
"Maybe...a proper rest for now is what we both need," he said, gritting his teeth.
Jayce rumbled, slowly letting him go.
He could stand, yes, though the distance to the bed became a whole lot bigger. His spine was fine for now. He should manage.
Jayce stayed close with every step, with every pause.
Viktor exhaled when they reached the bed, and just sat there, letting his muscles relax.
When he eventually eased himself down, Jayce curled up next to him, not quite pressing up against him, but still close.
Ah, of course.
Viktor shuffled back, towards the wall, and Jayce moved along with him. With Jayce's new size, he took up even more space than before.
Viktor waited as the pain settled into something more manageable, but then narrowed his eyes at Jayce, who was watching him, and then around at the walls bracketing the bed.
"You've trapped me here."
Two thumps of Jayce's tail hitting the bed, before Jayce reached over and lay an arm over Viktor's shoulders with a sigh.
Definitely trapped him in place. He could have managed sliding to the foot of the bed to get off, but with Jayce's arm where it was now, that would disturb him enough to wake up.
But... For now, he didn't need to go anywhere.
He couldn't sleep however, while Jayce dozed off, the pain enough to continually make itself known.
Where the bed was positioned meant Viktor could see the clock on the wall, see the minutes pass by.
After about an hour, Viktor huffed, turning his attention back to Jayce. Jayce's breathing was deep and even, and when Viktor eased Jayce's paw-hand off himself, Jayce grumbled, tucking the paw-hand away as he curled up further.
Fast asleep, then.
He slid down the bed and exhaled as he sat up. His spine was unhappy, but it always was. When he stood up, he leaned on the bed as he moved around it, collecting his cane.
The sound of the cane hitting the floor was as loud as it ever was, but Jayce didn't wake up and Viktor made his way over to his table.
The results were different from last time. Hm. Still human, but other values were different. Jayce was still changing. Back to being human, or something else?
Viktor wrote down the results, but paused at a soft growl, the bed creaking as Jayce stood up.
"I should have figured the sound of pen on paper is what would rouse you." Moving around could mean anything, but pen on paper meant he was working.
Jayce buried his nose into Viktor's neck when he approached, paw-hands braced on either side of Viktor's journal.
"Yes, yes, I know I'm not supposed to, but I'm worried about you." He was sure Jayce could understand that.
"Hrrrr." Jayce nuzzled Viktor's cheek before licking it once and then stepping away.
Viktor expected him to sit in the other chair, but when Jayce didn't, he looked across to see Jayce going back to bed. Hm, so long as Jayce was reassu-
He watched as Jayce bent down, and began dragging the bed over to them.
"What are you doing?" Though it was rather obvious what. "Why?" was the clearer question.
A few other tables were moved out of the way as Jayce continued dragging the bed towards Viktor.
"I thought you didn't want me to work?" Viktor said as Jayce moved the bed directly behind Viktor's stool.
Jayce rumbled, then looked at where the bed used to be as he swept an arm out, encompassing the space between Viktor's table and the bed.
"Yes, I suppose that's a long distance when my body isn't cooperating." And this way, Jayce would know he wouldn't fall on the way to bed. To the floor, at least.
"Then would you mind giving another blood sample?"
While Jayce grumbled, he moved to his chair, presenting his arm, making Viktor smile.
The night passed in a haze of blood tests and results, a variety of changes that never quite settled, no matter what. There had been naps in between, but Viktor's mind refused to settle either, waking him up every so often with a new thought, idea, or worry.
There was hope in the uncertainty though, that Jayce wasn't going to stay like that, there was still a chance of changing back. Somehow.
Viktor's body demanded sleep, his pen slipping in places, staying in others, leaving ink blots over his notes. He needed to finish these results. Even though...
He squinted. Could he read these later? Did he need to rewrite... What were the numbers he was writing down again?
He was fairly sure the numbers were clear, and he jolted at a pressure on his shoulder, Jayce's paw-hand in his periphery. "What did you find?"
After Jayce had slept for a number of hours, Jayce seemed to be enjoying investigating the lab. Which had been fine, because it kept Jayce busy, and he wasn't attempting to leave the lab.
It did mean that there was now a pile next to Viktor, a variety of lost loose paper, journals, prototypes and pens that Jayce had found.
So many pens.
All empty, which was why they had been lost in the first place.
In between presenting what new item he'd found, Jayce came back to check on him, sometimes nudging him to go to bed.
Jayce didn't give him anything, nor did he nuzzle at Viktor's cheek either. He looked up to see Jayce's ears were flat to his head, his eyes distant and unfocused as he shifted from foot to foot.
That was different.
"Jayce, what's wrong?"
Jayce groaned low, huffing.
Different, but also familiar. Hopefully.
If Jayce was turning back...
Ah.
"Can you get into bed?" Viktor asked, Jayce looking at him in confusion, not moving. While it was good if Jayce really was transforming back, it did present the immediate complications of if he did, he would be undressed on the cold floor, and Viktor had no easy way of dragging him to bed while he recovered.
Jayce rumbled, climbing into bed. It meant Viktor would have a perfect view as Jayce tr-
Jayce reached over, wrapped an arm around Viktor's waist, and pulled him to bed.
"I would have preferred an overall view," Viktor said, muffled by Jayce's fur, but considering how Jayce had acted the rest of the night, he must have wanted VIktor's comfort during this. "But all right."
Jayce was a furnace. He always was but now he was almost burning to the touch, and that was something Viktor had missed taking note of. Had Jayce's temperature been raising all the time, or had it just happened within the past hour?
This close, Viktor could hearJayce's bones shifting, grinding against each other as they moved. Jayce whined, holding him close as he shuddered.
Also this close, Viktor couldn't see how far along the transformation was until Jayce's fur disappeared, sucked into his skin as quickly as it had emerged.
Were they under his skin now, waiting until the next transformation, if there would be one, or were they gone completely?
Jayce...looked exactly the same as before, down to the 5 o'clock shadow he'd been sporting recently. Then the baseline before the change stayed the same afterwards?
Viktor could have attempted to think about it more, but his brain refused, and he closed his eyes, leaning in, hearing Jayce's strong heartbeat. Jayce was human again. That was what mattered.
...Though he should take another blood sample to see how Jayce's bloodwork was like currently.
When he peered at Jayce's elbow, it didn't appear as if it had been prodded the entire night, though that could have also been carryover from the transformation if there had been no marks there either. The scars were there also clear, and somehow more obvious than before.
"Nnng." Jayce grimaced as his hand swept up to run it through VIktor's hair.
"Jayce...?" Viktor said, studying him.
Jayce's eyes fluttered open, focusing on him. "Vik-?" He grimaced, clearing his throat. "Why do I feel terrible?"
Words. Viktor hugged him, trembling overtaking his body now that he could relax. Jayce was back.
Jayce hugged him back, breathing in deeply. "Hey, what happened?" He was silent for a second as he shifted. "...What happened to my clothes?"
No memory of the entire night?
Except with how Jayce jerked back, his eyes wide as he stared, Viktor may have said that out loud.
"You lost your clothes when you transformed into some kind of wolf-hybrid," Viktor said.
Jayce didn't say anything, then placed his hand on Viktor's forehead, as if he were checking for a- "You sure that wasn't a dream?"
Viktor scowled. He'd spent far too long and so much energy cataloguing everything for it to be a dream.
But if Jayce had presented him with only a journal of notes, would he believe him either?
No.
He would want proof.
"Then where are your clothes, Jayce, if I dreamed it?" Viktor said. "Why is the bed here, instead of the corner? Do you think I did that in my sleep?"
He looked down between them. "Why is the bed covered in your hair?" While the fur on Jayce's skin had disappeared during the transformation, what he had shed before that had stayed. Thankfully.
"Uh..." Jayce pushed himself up onto his elbows, looking around the lab, his gaze falling on the torn clothing still heaped on the ground. "That's...why I feel so tired?"
"Probably," Viktor said, reaching over to jot a few more notes in his journal.
"How long was I transformed for? And have you slept at all?"
"The entire night." Whatever time it was now. The last time he'd documented the time was at 3am? "I've had naps."
Then Viktor reached for the needle and vial.
"Hey, hey, what's that for?"
Right. Jayce was wary of them. "Bloodwork," Vikor said. "Been keeping track while you were transformed. Won't hurt if you don't move."
Jayce's hand closed over Viktor's. "How about I take a sample and you sleep?"
Viktor squinted at him, even as Jayce wavered in place. "Do you even know how to find a vein?"
Jayce stilled, his eyes darting away for a second. "I can see it?"
Not good enough. "I'll do it. I need to see your bloodwork after the transformation."
"Viktor, are you s-"
"Yes."
Through habit, Viktor was able to draw some blood. Huh, Jayce's veins were consistent between the transformation as well.
"Viktor," Jayce said after Viktor had prepared the tests, "you need sleep."
Viktor squinted at him, but he wasn't entirely sure if that was because he was trying to focus on Jayce or because his eyes were trying to close.
He exhaled, crawling back into bed, Jayce wrapping an arm around him.
It felt good.
What it used to be. Should be. Even if transformed Jayce had tried the same.
"My notes are on the table," he mumbled as he drifted off.
Viktor grimaced when he woke up, his head throbbing at the bright sunlight streaming in through the lab window.
Lab win...?
The bed was normally out of direct sunlight and-
Ah.
Right.
Everything that had happened returned, and Viktor exhaled, closing his eyes again. No, it hadn't been a dream.
"Morning," he heard across the room. When Viktor opened his eyes again, Jayce was at the blackboard, a new set of calculations scrawled across there. He was also clothed, probably from the spare set they kept in the lab, in case of experiment mishaps. "How are you feeling?"
Viktor stared at him. "Me? What about you?" He wasn't the one who had transformed for most of the night.
The small smile on Jayce's face slipped as he leaned back against the blackboard. "I feel like myself but..." He looked down, flexing his hand. In his other hand, he held Viktor's journal. "I think I'm remembering flashes of what happened last night. Nothing concrete, but there's something there."
"Good," VIktor said as he sat up.
"I took down the results," Jayce said, lifting up Viktor's journal, "but ah, I wasn't able to take more samples."
"It's fine. We can do them now." It wouldn't show a smooth trend, but it was still information to track and follow.
"You still haven't said how you're doing," Jayce said as he walked over, rolling up his sleeve.
No, he hadn't, had he? "Better, now that you're back to your usual self, and after some rest." His brain was clearer now, able to hold onto an idea without being distracted by a new thought.
"So, what should we do?" Jayce said, sitting down at the table as Viktor moved over to it.
"Breakfast first," Viktor said, inspecting his table and tools. "Then we can start working on finding out more."
He looked across to see Jayce's look of surprise.
"What?"
"You, uh, feeling okay, Viktor?"
"Are you?" Viktor said, looking him up and down. "I'm not the one who transformed his entire body twice in the space of a night. You need to renew your reserves. Did you have breakfast?" He would rather not have Jayce back, to have him then die in his arms.
"I was reading your notes!"
"And we can talk about them. After breakfast," he said as he collected what he needed.
There were things they needed to do first, but after that, they could begin figuring out what had happened.