Chapter Text
Jayce does not remember when things started to be this way. But he felt like this ever since he could remember. First as a kid, not even seven years old, realizing he was the biggest kid in his grade. Not in height, he lost that position to Leif, a stick-thin beanpole of a child far too young to be either things. He absolutely despised days outside with his class, where the teacher would make sure they at least did something. He didn't like the other kids stares, or the anger his mother would have when the teacher made another comment about his health.
Ironically, that would be the healthiest he would be for a few years, at least mentally. Every year it seemed more apparent that despite being a growing boy, he wasn't growing in a way other's liked. His father was nice, as well as his mom, but when he got to his preteens, they started to push on him about his weight like everyone else. He was still a chubby kid, so he was pushed to work in the forge with his Dad, and get into shape. He lost the weight quickly working a job meant for a adult, however the attention never really changed in severity. Now he was no longer the fat kid no one really knew or talked to, he was now the upcoming sports star the teachers loved. He liked it, but only because of how happy everyone else seemed.
Despite what little time he had, he began becoming interested in science, especially once his father died and he was forced to move. He felt like something was missing, but it quickly turned into stress trying to balance school, his body and his friends. In high school it became too much. He could remember the end of year tests being the worst, where it seemed all he did was study. He lost his friends, who weren't really friends in the first place, and he didn't go to the forge as much. His frame grew, in both height and weight. He was thankful the weight was just the softening of muscles, and the progress into chubby was quickly stopped by comments made from people around him. Jayce knew logically that what he did next was wrong, but he stopped eating nearly entirely. Only when he lost the weight, and people stopped making concerned looks at him, did he continue. But the thoughts were always there now.
Jayce rushed into the lab, panting softly. He could have sworn he set his alarm, but he woke up a hour later than he should have. His partner in all ways but the one he truly wanted, gave him a questioning look.
"Being chased by enforcers?" Viktor teased, a soft smile on his face. It was out of character for him, making Jayce pause. A lot of things have been weird with Viktor, and Jayce had no idea why.
"Ha ha. No, just a broken alarm clock." Jayce said dryly, but with a smile of his own. He did not tell his partner that he struggled to get dressed, his thighs just a bit too thick for his pants. It was embarrassing enough to have as a memory, and it was not any of Viktor's business either.
"Hm. And I thought I was working with a inventor who could look after his things." Viktor's face had gone back to its usual frowny look, but his eyes held a sort of warmth. "I grabbed breakfast for you, since I figured you might be running late." He said, pushing a box closer to Jayce, before continuing to write something in his notes.
Jayce tried not to show his surprise, because this was technically becoming a regular thing. Viktor arrived at the lab at ungodly hours, and after Jayce maybe had a period of time where he was eating less than he should have, Viktor began to come in with food. Viktor himself wouldn't eat much of it, so Jayce always ended up eating both portions. For today it was donuts, most likely because Viktor wanted something sugary. The man was a fiend for it, especially in his drinks.
"Thanks, V." Jayce said honestly, grabbing one and quickly eating it. He took another one and sat next to Viktor. That was also another more common occurrence now, at least while there was food in the lab. It was annoying having to go back and forth to grab something else, and Viktor hadn't said a word about it. Luckily for Jayce, his mind quickly attached itself to the work they were currently doing instead of the recent changes in his body.
However an hour into their work, Viktor had gone to grab more coffee, their own machine broken due to overuse, and Jayce finally snapped out of his workflow when he went to grab another donut, and all he grabbed was empty space. Immediately Jayce knew what he had done, and blushed dark with shame. He looked over and it confirmed his fears. How many were in the box in the first place?
He moved to throw away the box, knowing they needed the space on the desk soon, and felt both a ache and a pinching in his middle. His blood ran cold as he looked down at himself, and knew his ears must be blushing as well now. His toned stomach was bloated out, pressing against the button of his pants and the vest he was wearing today. He put a hand on it out of curiosity, expecting to find it packed full, but there was definitely a squish there. He cursed quietly, finishing his thought on throwing the donut box away before he could think more on it. He could feel how full he was when he walked, and he could feel the strain on the buttons of his vest. He felt ashamed, how could the weight have snuck up on him like this? A lot of his stomach's current size was from him stuffing his face in a shortish amount of time, but the softness didn't appear just that day. He knew his thighs were thicker from his struggle that morning, and he HAD been stressed with the increase of galas he was required to attend. It certainly didn't help that the galas had such rich food, and created such a unique anxiety in him that made him all more willing to eat more than he should have.
But he couldn't really focus on that right now, startling when Viktor came back with two egregiously large cups of coffee. Viktor seemed to notice the look on his face and arched a brow. "Everything...alright?" The shorter man asked, his eyes analyzing Jayce a bit.
"Y-Yeah, just...thinking." Jayce said immediately, and before things got too awkward, he moved to where the chalkboard was. "I was thinking that maybe this equation is wrong. See how different these two tests turned out?" He said, forcing himself back into work mode. He could have his crisis later. Maybe he could completely avoid it, if he focused more on forge, ate less. It was dangerous thinking, but it got him good results in the long run. It wasn't like anyone had noticed. Yet.