Chapter Text
“Thatta a girl,” Jayce cooed at the shivering pup with no vision nestled in his arms. The dog buried her face into the crook of his neck while he petted her gently. “You’re alright, love. Shhhh, it’s okay.”
There were only a few things Jayce truly believed in. Science, above all else. Devoting his life to unravelling the mysteries of the world and the universe around him was the foundation of who he was. Though he had chosen not to follow the family business of metalwork, he still found the forge’s heat and hammer striking iron to echo faintly in his own passions. Often, he lent a hand at the family forge, yet it was not where his heart dwelled.
Another belief, one that weighed even more heavily on him, was in helping others. Making the world a better place wherever he could. That conviction had been forged in childhood, when his mother lost her fingers during a blizzard that trapped them in a cottage for three days. He could never forget how she had braved the frozen night, desperate to find help as faucets burst and pipes split under the cold. Her struggle remained etched into him. It was what pushed him toward biomedical engineering at a school on the other side of the country, what drove him to craft her a prosthetic hand. Elegant, functional, and slowly being developed to be responsive to her very thoughts as it curled and uncurled its two digits at will.
The last thing he held onto (and perhaps the one that revealed his quiet naïveté) was his unwavering belief in the good of the world. He saw it in children laughing at the park, in strangers helping strangers without reward, in the unseen threads of connection binding people together. But most of all, he saw it in animals. Their honesty was unfiltered, their emotions raw and pure. Dogs, cats—creatures of all kinds reflected the simple goodness he longed to see at the heart of humanity. It was that belief that led him back to school for veterinary studies at Piltover University. And it was what brought him here, holding a trembling pup against his chest, whispering comfort as she endured her very first shots.
Jayce waited until the tremors in the little dog’s body eased, cradling her gently in his hands until her owner arrived to take her home.
“It’s good to see you, Jayce.” The woman said with a flush on her cheeks. “How was Daisy?”
“Perfect. And very cute.” Jayce handed her over.
Almost reluctant to let her go, too easily attached to any creature that depended on him, he gave her a small wave as she pawed at the kennel bars, eager to return to him despite the sting of the needle still fresh in her memory.
“Well, I bet she was thankful to have you handling her,” the woman chuckled.
Jayce pressed his lips together in a strained smile. When the door closed behind them, the sudden quiet of the front office pulled a sigh from his chest.
“You’ll see Daisy again in a couple of weeks when she comes back for her Leptospira and DA2PP shots.” Caitlyn rolled her eyes as she spoke, though a smile lingered on her lips while she tucked Daisy’s paperwork into a file.
Somehow, she had wound up here with him… running their own little clinic. She believed in his passions, and for as long as he knew her, she never did anything she didn’t want to do. It took a few months before Cailtyn had a stern talking to Jayce about his guilt, blaming himself for her aspirations being put to the side for his. Turned out, she also had a soft spot for animals. After her horse passed away, she got her own education in wildlife rehabilitation. She was more than an asset to his clinic; she was half of the reason for its success.
“Can you blame me?” Jayce rubbed at his face, the prickle of his two o’clock shadow rasping against his calloused hand before he pushed his hair back. “She’s… adorable.”
“You say that about all the animals,” Caitlyn interrupted, standing to gather her things.
“Yeah, well, they’re all cute.”
She arched a brow. “Even the ones that try to bite you?”
Jayce chuckled. “Even then.
“What about the woman?”
Jayce grimaced. “What about her?”
Cailtyn snorted. “She was obviously flirting with you.”
“She’s a patient.”
“No, her dog is a patient.”
“I don’t have time for–” he waved in the direction of the door. “It wouldn’t be fair. Plus, she’s not my type.”
Cailtyn shook her head with her own sigh, but it was filled with disappointment.
“I’ll be a while, so head on out before me.” He slipped into the back without waiting for a reply, already picturing the look Caitlyn would give him. Every Friday, she and Vi went to the Last Drop with Vi’s family. Owned by Vi’s father, it had become their gathering place—catching up and keeping ties strong once a week.
Jayce had never joined them. Never had. Not because he didn’t want to. He was an extrovert at heart, drawn to the idea of weekly gatherings and the warmth of familiar company. But his hours were consumed by work, and whatever time he spared for himself was spent on the basics—exercise, a hearty meal, and sleep. Everything else he gave to this.
The clinic. His purpose.
He pulled on gloves and set to work, sanitising the table where Daisy had just been for her appointment. The task took no more than half an hour, and soon he was slipping into his jacket and scarf, the cool autumn air kissing his skin as he locked up for the night.
Leaves crunched beneath his boots as he walked down the block, their rhythm lulling him into a quiet trance. His gaze lingered on the swirling colours underfoot, though the sky above offered no light—the sun had long since set. It wasn’t winter yet, but the evenings carried a sharper chill, and when the air bit deep enough, puffs of steam curled from his lips. He tried not to regret walking to work. The weather often stirred up the old injury he had gotten back in university, but he needed the movement.
At the stoplight, he distracted himself with a mobile game he had downloaded on a whim from an ad earlier in the week. The sudden flap of paper drew his attention away from the screen. A poster was taped to the wooden pole beside him: a lost cat. The photo showed a sleek black feline with striking blue eyes, staring up at whoever had taken the shot.
Rio, the text read.
One year old.
Likely to hiss if approached.
Reward if found.
And then a phone number.
Jayce frowned, his chest tightening faintly. As though he might somehow spot the creature himself, his eyes swept the intersection. The university across the street was full of students walking with their backpacks, but sadly, no cat he could make out. The light had already changed, giving him the right of way. He hurried across, glancing back at the pole only once before continuing the walk home.
Alone. Like he had been for a while.
***
The weekend slipped away with Jayce buried in new research on prosthetics, each article consumed over multiple cups of coffee. He should have taken the time off; he knew his body had its limits, but stretched out in a hammock with an iPad, he told himself it barely counted as work.
It’s light reading, he repeated all weekend.
He also told himself he’d finally buy a pair of blue light glasses on his way home. By Monday morning, the pressure behind his eyes had already bloomed into a headache as he crossed the intersection toward the clinic. His green hoodie underneath his jacket kept him warm against the morning chill.
Passing the same pole from yesterday, he paused. The lost-cat poster fluttered in the breeze, and Jayce found himself staring at the photo again. The little black cat, Rio, looked impossibly small with those wide blue eyes. Jayce’s chest ached as he imagined the poor thing shivering outside through the weekend. With a sigh, he snapped a picture of the poster before heading into the plaza, where Caitlyn was unlocking the clinic door.
“Morning, Sprout.”
“Hey, how was your weeke—God, you look horrendous.” Caitlyn’s gasp was immediate. “The bags under your eyes are ridiculous. Did you sleep at all?”
Jayce only gave her a flat look before gesturing for her to get inside. She shrugged, lips twitching toward a smile, and they carried on with the day. Appointments, walk-ins, and research squeezed into the quiet moments. It all blurred together. Still, the hours dragged. Jayce caught himself sighing more often than usual, and for a moment, he worried he might be coming down with something. He downed an Immune+ packet, the bitter grapefruit flavour making his nose wrinkle.
It was midafternoon, after Caitlyn was done with a rehabilitation session, when the front door chimed. But it wasn’t the bell itself that sent Jayce hurrying from the back of the clinic to the front. It was the sudden crash of something hitting the floor, a girl’s startled scream, and the low, furious growl of a cat.
The first thing Jayce noticed was two women, apart from Caitlyn, with electric-blue hair, huddled together by the door. The second was an animal carrier tipped on its side, the cage door hanging open. The third was the black blur of fur darting around in terror, hissing and screeching.
Caitlyn sprinted around the front desk, first-aid kit in hand, and knelt in front of the younger of the two—a small child whose eyes were streaming tears, hands clutched tightly to her chest.
Jayce let the cat find its corner, back pressed to the wall, tail fluffed, ears pinned. It was missing a front limb, and likely already on edge from the difficulties of living with only three. He retrieved a bag of catnip from the front, opened it, and buried his hands inside. He didn’t take any out, simply rubbing the scented hands along his arms. The black cat gradually stilled, hissing less, eyeing him warily.
Satisfied, he glanced at Caitlyn.
“Do you have them?” Jayce asked, referring to the two people.
She nodded. The older woman shifted her gaze between the two of them, a mix of concern and curiosity on her face. Worried for the younger girl, but intrigued by Jayce’s slow, deliberate approach to the frightened animal.
“Hey there.” Jayce knelt, resting on his heels, and slowly extended a hand.
The cat hissed, swiping at him from a ruler’s length away.
“Shhh, shhh.” Jayce kept his movements purposeful, letting the faint scent of catnip hang in the air.
It took a moment, but the cat settled back on its haunches, sniffing cautiously between them. Then, driven by curiosity, it stepped forward. Jayce stayed perfectly still, meeting its gaze with slow blinks.
“You’re not scary, are you?” he cooed. “You’re just a sweetheart, I bet.”
A low rumble rolled from the cat, and before Jayce could interpret it, the feline nudged its head against his hand.
“Yeah, you are,” he murmured to himself.
The cat rubbed along his arm, all traces of fear and irritability gone. Slowly, Jayce moved his hand under its chin. It purred like a motor, reaching up to place its paws on his knee. Instinctively, he scooped it into his arms and stood. It began doing biscuits on his chest, nuzzling against his beard.
“That’s some cat whisperer you’ve got there, Cait,” the older woman snorted.
“Jayce just has his way with animals, but the catnip does help,” Caitlyn said.
Jayce walked to the desk and retrieved a treat for the cat. “Is your child alright?”
“Child? How old do ya think I am?” the woman asked, eyebrows raised.
Jayce’s face fell, mortified.
“I—I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to offend. I was just worried—”
Both the blue-haired woman and the little girl burst into laughter. Jayce furrowed his brow, glancing at Caitlyn for an explanation.
“Jayce, this is Jinx and Isha. Vi’s younger sisters.”
“Oh!” Jayce smiled, relief softening his expression. “I’ve heard so much about you!”
“Us too. You’re the one always ditching us.” Jinx tilted her hip, arms dropped casually. Isha mirrored her older sister’s pose, peering up with wide eyes. “But she’s all dandy, aren’t ya?”
Isha nodded, showing her hand covered in Band-Aids.
“I was more talking about your background in high-pressure mechanics,” Jayce pouted. “I thought that was really neat. Vi told me you were an Environmental Engineer. I’d love to hear about your work.”
Caitlyn pinched the bridge of her nose. “Always work with you.”
“If you come to our Friday Nights, I’ll tell ya everything. For now, the little stinkball is in your good hands. So we’ll be off.”
“Wait, you need to register your cat first.” Caitlyn reached over and pulled a clipboard from her desk.
“Oh, she isn’t ours. We found him at the park. Poor girl was in the slide when Isha came down. She’s a lost one.”
Jayce glanced down, the cat still content in Jayce’s hands.
“I’m sure she has a chip or something.” She shrugged before opening the door. “It was nice to meet ya, doc!”
***
And that was how Jayce ended up with a cat napping in his lap, scanner in hand. Caitlyn sat at the front desk, filling out paperwork in case the animal’s owner couldn’t be found. Neither of them liked sending abandoned cats to the shelter, but they lacked the space to take in every stray. Still, with the way this one had curled into his lap, Jayce might just make an exception. He’d been considering a clinic pet, after all.
The scanner blinked, then went blank. No chip. Jayce frowned at the empty display and set it aside. He had been sitting for ten minutes, and he couldn’t move at all.
He had been chosen.
Pressing his lips together, Jayce glanced around his office, running through the argument in his head. Five whole minutes passed as he tried to convince himself he could keep the cat. His phone buzzing in his pocket broke the thought. He hadn’t checked it all day, too consumed with work, and now, with the warm black ball of fur nestled against him.
Unlocking the screen, he nearly tapped his messages, but froze. His photo app was still open from earlier. Jayce swiped back and there it was: the picture he’d taken that morning of the lost-cat poster. Blue eyes stared up at him from the paper, identical to the pair now blinking sleepily in his lap.
His heart kicked into a gallop. He might be wrong, but tears pricked the corners of his eyes at the thought of sparing this cat from the shelter.
Jayce quickly typed in the number on the poster and pressed the phone to his ear. It rang once. Twice. He realised too late that he should have called from the clinic line instead of his personal phone. His thumb hovered over the screen to hang up—
“Hello?”
The voice was thick with an accent—Eastern European, maybe. Jayce tilted his head, brain scrambling to pin down which country, but came up blank. He hadn’t travelled much after he went to university, too focused on achieving his doctorate in two fields that made him who he was today.
“Is anyone there?” the man asked again, wary.
“Uh—yes! I am there—here, I mean!” Jayce winced.
The line went silent, and Jayce glanced at the phone screen just to confirm the call hadn’t dropped.
“Can I help you, or will you continue to waste my time?” The man asked.
“No, I mean—uh, I called because I saw this number on a poster for a missing cat. Are you... missing one?”
Smooth. Real smooth.
“Yes?” The man questioned, but Jayce could hear hopefulness in his voice. Immediately, he knew he had found the owner.
“Well, Rio is found and with me.”
“You found her?” The man’s voice lifted with sudden eagerness, his accent curling harder at the final r. “Where are you? I’ll come as soon as possible.”
“Are you near Piltover University?”
“Yes, I am,” he breathed, relief breaking through.
“There’s a veterinarian clinic across the street on the north side. Talis and Tails. You can pick her up from there.”
“Is she alright? What happened?”
“Don’t worry,” Jayce rushed. “My sister’s girlfriend’s sister found her at the playground. She brought her in because she knew her sister’s girlfriend’s brother owned the place.” He cringed at his explanation and pinched the bridge of his nose. “When should I expect you?”
“Right, I’ll be there—ah, блядь. I have a lecture.”
Jayce could practically hear the man’s anxiety buzzing through the line. His face softened.
“Um… wait…”The man continued, “Let me think—”
“I can wait.” Jayce interrupted.
“Are you sure? It’s already four-thirty. My lecture isn’t done until six, and then I’ll need to get across campus, so six-thirty would be the earliest.”
“Rio and I will have fun after hours while we wait for you.”
“Will your boss be okay with that?”
Jayce blinked before pressing his lips together to hold down a chuckle. “Yeah, he’ll be fine with it.”
A breath of laughter, almost like a prayer. “Thank you. I’ll come as fast as I can after my lecture.”
“Of course,” Jayce said, smiling. “I'll be here.”
***
Jayce had to pull on a hoodie an hour into Rio’s catnap in his lap. He rarely used the heater in his office—too stuffy during the day—and this was that awkward time of year when mornings and evenings bit at you with a chill, but midday begged for a T-shirt.
The feline let out a small noise of disapproval at his movement. Jayce pressed his lips together, weighing his options as he glanced between the hoodie in his hands and the cat blinking up at him through heavy lids. In the end, he did what he always did: accommodated.
He tugged the hoodie on backward and carefully lifted Rio into the pouch of the hood. Tucked in and warm, she gave a contented sigh and immediately drifted back to sleep. Jayce smiled at his own resourcefulness and at the undeniable approval he’d earned.
Caitlyn left as the clock struck five, heading home for the evening. With the extra time and Rio still asleep in his hoodie, Jayce busied himself with tidying the office. He started with the bulletin board, crowded with photos of the clinic’s “cutest animals of the month.” Of course, every patient had made the cut, which was why there was never enough space for a second board. Now that the display was filling up, he wondered if he should just dedicate the whole wall to pictures of the animals who passed through his care.
Dragging over a chair, he climbed up to adjust a photo of Sally, a Fischer’s lovebird—one of the few birds he’d treated. Her wings had been broken by an aggressive cage mate at the pet store, but her new owner, already smitten, had taken her home regardless.
The chime of the door opening pulled Jayce from his thoughts, and he glanced over at his guest. If beauty had a picture in the dictionary as its definition, Jayce believed the man who entered would be there. Brown hair that flowed down his neck, bleached underneath with lowlights. His long hair framed his angular face. His outfit was sleek and old-fashioned. Like a man knew his worth. It was more than complimentary to his lean figure.
He hardly knew what to look at in the one second his eyes fell on the stranger. Jayce lowered his arms as the man turned to look at him.
“Good evening,” The way the man’s tongue wrapped around the words curled something low in Jayce’s stomach, forcing him to swallow before he could answer. “Are you the man I spoke to on the phone?”
His voice was so much smoother in person. Jayce opened and closed his mouth. The air in his lungs seemingly was not working with his vocal cords. So he settled for nodding.
The man pressed his lips together before glancing around, leaning on his cane. Jayce hadn’t noticed until now. “I appreciate you taking care of Rio. Where is she? She’s not fond of strangers.”
“Oh,” Jayce stepped onto the floor from the chair and gestured to his chest. “Right here.”
The beautiful stranger raised an eyebrow.
Jayce furrowed his own, confused at the man’s confusion—until it hit him what he must look like: hoodie on backwards, Rio tucked so deep in the hood she was practically invisible, and him just clambering down from a chair.
“Sorry, I—uh—wanted to be productive while still keeping an eye on her. She didn’t seem to want to leave me alone, and she panicked when anyone else tried to hold her.” He reached into the hoodie and gently coaxed the black bundle out.
The stranger's brow rose, surprised etched on his face.
Rio mewled in protest as Jayce handed her to him. “I thought maybe having her in my hoodie would— never mind. Here you go.”
“Malooshka.” The man’s face softened as he took her from Jayce. “I was so worried about you.”
At once, Rio’s purr rumbled louder, her whole body vibrating as she buried her face against him and began licking at his hair. The man chuckled, crooked teeth flashing in the kind of smile that tugged at the corners of Jayce’s chest.
Jayce swallowed hard, his mouth inexplicably dry and watering all at once.
“I must say, I am surprised,” the stranger said.
Jayce tilted his head, his gaze flicking up to meet the man’s, caught in the depth of it.
“Rio never lets anyone else hold her but me.”
“Must’ve been the catnip,” Jayce offered with a small smile, though he couldn’t help the way his chest puffed at the words. Caitlyn had praised him for the same thing earlier, but coming from him, it sent heat curling up Jayce’s neck. His ears burned. “I’m just glad I could help.”
The man glanced up through his lashes. Jayce couldn’t tell if it was deliberate, but the look knocked the sound right out of his hearing. He realised too late he’d missed the question.
“Hm?”
An amused smile tugged at the stranger’s lips. “Where was she?”
“Hiding out on a slide at a park.”
“Silly girl.” His voice softened, fondness threading through every syllable. It melted something in Jayce’s chest, warm and dangerous. “I was so worried. Thank you… What was your name?”
“Jayce.”
“Thank you, Jayce. Please give my gratitude to your boss for accommodating my schedule.”
Jayce blinked, startled, then cleared his throat. “Right. Of course.”
The man nodded, the gesture already carrying him toward goodbye
Don’t leave. Don't leave. Don't leave.
The thought shocked him, but as the man turned, he caught the soft grunt, the tightening grip on his cane, knuckles white as he tried to cradle Rio safely in his other arm.
“Is everything okay?” Jayce asked gently.
“Yes, yes. Just a little trouble walking back with her in my arms. Normally, it wouldn't be an issue, however, the weather has aggravated an old injury”
Jayce pressed his lips together in silent understanding.
“Here.” In one quick pull, he stripped off his hoodie. His hair mussed, sticking up at odd angles, and his shirt riding up, making him pull it down, but he didn’t care as he held the bundle of fabric out.
The man blinked, eyes flicking from the hoodie to Jayce. The silence between them was unbearable.
“You can hold her in the hoodie, like I did,” Jayce explained quickly. “It’ll be easier. She liked it, I promise. I can even add some catnip if you think—” He stopped himself, heat crawling up his neck. “Never mind. Forget it. I’ll just—”
To his utter surprise, the man set Rio gently on a chair and took the hoodie from him. Resting his cane against the desk, he slipped it on backwards. The oversized fabric swallowed him, making the difference in their frames glaringly obvious. His hair stuck out in disarray, just as Jayce’s had.
Then he lifted Rio into the pouch of the hood. She nestled in immediately, purring, content. When the man looked up, his smile was radiant.
“Thank you.”
Jayce only nodded, heartbeat thrumming in his ears, watching in silence as the man retrieved his cane.
“I’ll return this as soon as I can.”
Another nod. Too much pounding in his chest for words.
The man smiled again, lips pressed together, curious at Jayce’s quiet but too polite to ask.
“Well, I’ll be off. Have a good rest of your evening.” He reached for the door.
“Wait.” Jayce stepped forward, hand half-extended, before pulling it back. The stranger turned, brows lifting.
“I don’t even know your name.”
The man blinked, tilted his head as though only just remembering. “It’s Viktor.”
Viktor’s name lingered in the air, warm as sunlight. His eyes were just as bright. And then, just like that, he turned and walked out the door.
Jayce stood frozen, hoodie-less and dazed, left only with the echo of a smile and the quiet weight of a cat’s purr still ghosting in his lap. His chest felt too tight. His mind spun, replaying every glance and every word. No research found his thoughts that night, not even the morning after.
And so began the spiral. An ache of want for a man who had walked away but already felt impossible to forget. For the first time in his life, Jayce wanted something that wasn’t about helping others or making the world a better place. He wanted simply because he was alive. He desired simply because Viktor, the beautiful stranger with his long hair and otherworldly eyes, was the first person to make him want to be selfish.