Following Jayce's POV

"Now that your project is complete, you can sit by me again!" James said, nodding.

Jayce and Viktor had been walking back to their dorm after their classes when James, Scott, and Mark ran up. The conversation Viktor had been having with Jayce died almost immediately at their voices.

"Eh, I'm not sure," Jayce shrugged. "I like sitting next to Viktor. It's quiet and he's not obnoxious like you."

James rolled his eyes. "Oh, please! Like Viktor's never been obnoxious before."

"Actually, no. He's never been," Jayce chuckled. "He seems more mature than you."

"Jayce- You do realize you used to call-"

Jayce cut him off. "Yes, yes, I know. But I'm better now. I regret doing that stuff."

"You mean you're, like, actually friends with him now?" Mark asked.

They spoke like Viktor wasn't walking right beside Jayce. Jayce narrowed his eyes a bit.

"Uh, yeah?"

"Why, though?" Scott nodded, crossing his arms.

"Because we're just friends now, I guess? I don't know."

James scoffed. "Ok, but why would you want to be friends with anyone who's gay?"

Viktor's head shot up the sidewalk he was staring at. "Huh? What?! I'm not-"

"Oh, c'mon, Viktor," James snickered a bit. "The only person besides Jayce who's ever shown interest in you was a girl, and you turned her down!"

"That doesn't make me ga-"

"Whatever you say, Viktor," James continued, snickering still. "You can't keep it from us."

"I'm not-"

"Aye, just don't try to hit on one of us or Jayce, okay?"

Jayce noticed Viktor's grip on his cane tighten, fury burning in his gaze, a common look he had when Jayce's friends hung around. Jayce gazed back at James. What was his deal today?

"Alright, that's enough," Jayce spoke firmly, stepping in between the two.

"Hmph. It was just banter, Jayce," James replied. "It's his fault if he's too sensitive to see it."

"I'm just going to go back to the dorm," Viktor muttered.

"Aw, can't handle a few words, Viktor?" Scott put in.

"It's not that, but uh-" he paused for a moment. "My leg hurts more than usual today, yeah."

"Riiiight," Mark nodded. "Well fine then, go off and sulk. Stop being so sensitive!"

Jayce glared at the three, his hands balling into fists in his pockets. Viktor turned, beginning to walk off. Jayce shouted, well within earshot of all four.

"What the fuck are your problems?!" Jayce spat, glaring at the three.

"Whaaat? It was just bant-" James began, Jayce cutting him off.

"You made him so uncomfortable, whether it was banter or not. And, if you ask me, I don't think it was just banter."

"Well, it's a good thing nobody asked you," James crossed his arms. "Why do you even care about him?"

"I- Well, he's my friend!" Jayce grew louder, fury searing his voice.

"Whoa, calm down Jayce. No need to get so worked up," Scott laughed a bit.

"I- mmmm."

Jayce turned, heading off towards the dorm. James grabbed his wrist.

"Man, forget him for a while! Come hang out with your actual friends. We haven't talked in, like, a week! Are you really going to be selfish and leave us here??"

"I-"

"Just for a few hours? Until you have football practice?"

"Fine," Jayce muttered, ripping his wrist from James' grasp. "Where are we going?"

_______

Jayce caught his breath after practice. He'd already taken a shower and was now sitting on the couch. He thought about the interactions between Viktor and his friends. He stood, figuring he'd try to talk to Viktor before Mel showed up. Sighing, he walked quietly over to Viktor's bedroom, knocking on the door softly.

"Viktor? Are you okay? Can I come in?" Jayce called.

No response.

"Please?" Jayce asked again.

When Viktor didn't reply, Jayce quietly cracked the door open, peering into the room. When Viktor wasn't at his desk, he gazed over at his bed. He wasn't their either.

"Must be out somewhere," Jayce thought, closing the door and heading back towards the couch.

There, he waited another hour before Mel finally showed up, carrying a small pan of brownies she said she'd bring. The two talked while eating, enjoying each other's company.

"I heard from Scott that you did excellent on your presentation!" Mel said, nodding. "Well done, Jayce."

"Thanks! Viktor did really-"

"This isn't about him right now." Mel said firmly.

"Uh- Oh, okay," Jayce blinked.

Mel leaned against his shoulder, resting her head on him.

"You put a lot of work into that project. You deserve credit for it," she said quietly.

"I did get credit," Jayce said.

"Mm, I see," she muttered.

Jayce watched as she struggled to keep her eyes open. He chuckled awkwardly, feeling slightly uncomfortable. However, he kept his mouth shut. They sat there for the next thirty minutes quietly, Jayce keeping his eyes on the coffee table.

Suddenly, the door slammed open, surprising both Jayce and Mel. Jayce stood and turned, noticing Viktor, red in the face. In his hand he held a torn, soaked sketchbook.

"Viktor?" Jayce asked. "What happened? What's wrong?"

"Tvoi druz'ya, vot chto!" He spat.

The Russian shook with anger, his fingers digging into the handle of his cane. Viktor's eyes burned with emotion as he finally slammed the door back closed behind him, storming towards his bedroom.

"Viktor, wait- I don't understand, just calm-" Jayce was cut off by the sound of a slamming door.

Jayce gazed down at Mel who gave an unimpressed sigh and stood.

"Just- Go to him. We'll talk tomorrow," she muttered, heading for the door.

Jayce sighed, watching as Mel slipped through the door, not bothering to say goodbye or even glance his way. He gazed over at Viktor's room. Slowly, he approached it, knocking as softly as he did earlier that day.

"Can I come in, please, Viktor?" Jayce asked. "I want to know what happened."

A round of angry Russian words responded to him.

"Viktor-"

"Why do you care?" A voice, one fueled by anger, asked. "It's not a funny joke."

"I- You're my friend," Jayce said. "I'm not joking. Can I come in, please?"

Viktor muttered something that Jayce couldn't pick up on before speaking up.

"Yeah, sure. Do what you want, Talis."

Slowly, Jayce opened the door, gazing in. Viktor sat at his desk, the sketchbook laying in front of him. His hands clutched his hair, pulling at it in frustration. Jayce approached quietly, assessing the scene.

"Do you want to tell me what happened?" He asked, grabbing Viktor's wrists, pulling his hands from his hair.

Viktor was silent for several moments, and Jayce was almost sure he wasn't going to speak. However, Viktor sighed, flipping through some of the tearing, wet pages of the book. Pen ink had also been smeared by the water.

"Your-" Viktor took a breath. "Your dumbass friends. That's what happened!"

Anger filled his eyes again.

"They did? What did they do exactly?" Jayce asked.

"They fucking ripped my sketchbook from my hands, went through it, nearly knocked me down, and then proceeded to 'accidentally' pour water over it," he glared daggers down at the book.

Jayce blinked, his mouth hung open with shock. Never did he think his friends could be so cruel.

"I-" He heard Viktor's voice crack a bit. "I hate them. They're nothing but assholes."

Jayce placed a hand on Viktor's shoulder.

"I'm so sorry, Viktor," he whispered softly.

Viktor shook his head. "It's fine, I'm okay."

"It's really not, though," Jayce said. "I'll talk to them."

"What's the point? They won't care," Viktor muttered, shrugging.

"You'll never know until you try," Jayce nodded. "And I'm going to try."

Viktor gave an unconvinced shrug, flipping through the ruined sketchbook. Jayce gazed at the drawings. Once elegant landscapes and sketches now sat there ruined, their ink smeared across the page. Viktor muttered something inaudible to Jayce.

"What was that?" He asked.

"I said that one day I'm going to beat your friends with my cane," Viktor repeated.

Jayce chuckled. "Tell me before you do, I'll grab a bat."

Viktor let out a breathy laugh, nodding.

"I'll keep that in mind, Talis."