Chapter Text
“This was a fucking mistake,” Viktor groaned.
“I could’ve told you that,” Jayce laughed.
Jayce, Viktor, Caityn, and Ekko had traveled through the tunnels of Zaun, over the massive gears that controlled the bridge crossing the river, and had finally made it to the bridge itself. Viktor had allowed Jayce to aid him whenever it was needed: hoisting him over the gears, helping him down onto the bridge. He wasn’t in as much pain as he was on the staircase before their run-in with the Firelights, but it was still no walk in the park.
“I can’t wait to get home,” Viktor lamented. “Change into something comfortable, lie down with a book…”
“I’ll put some sweetmilk on the stove for you when we get back,” Jayce smiled fondly.
Viktor sighed dramatically. “You love me.”
Jayce only chuckled in reply, hoping Viktor couldn’t see how red his cheeks got in the dying light of the setting sun.
More than you know.
“Ughhhh we still have to report to the council!” Viktor suddenly groaned. Jayce threw his head back with a cackle, and he heard Caitlyn giggle in front of them. Even Ekko turned with a small smile.
“Good to know at least some topsiders hold the same annoyance for the Council as we do,” he chuckled.
“Try working for them!” Jayce laughed. “You should have heard Salo when we told him about hextech malfunctioning.”
Viktor grinned mischievously before slicking his hair back with one hand. “Our flourishing economy will fall apart~” he whined in his poshest attempt at mimicking the blonde counselor before falling into another bout of breathy laughter.
Jayce reached over and tousled Viktor’s hair to how it originally was, his partner smiling and batting at his hand as he did so. Viktor then attempted to trip Jayce with his new walking stick before speeding up a bit to chat with Ekko. Caitlyn fell back to take Viktor’s place.
“You two are too much sometimes,” Caitlyn snickered under her breath. Jayce gave her a lopsided grin.
“Oh, okay Cupcake,” he smirked.
Caitlyn sounded like she was choking. “Why you- I- th-that’s not-!” She then resigned to glaring daggers at him. “I hate you.”
“I know, Caitlyn.”
“You’re a horrible person.”
“Of course, Caitlyn.”
“The council should’ve banished you.”
“Whatever you say, Caitlyn.”
Jayce threw an arm around her shoulders and hugged her close as they walked, and although she did grumble and squirm in protest, she ultimately succumbed to Jayce’s affection.
“This has been fun, don’t you think?”
Caitlyn scoffed. “What exactly is your definition of fun, Jayce?”
“Well, you finally got to visit the Undercity, try some local cuisine, meet a new friend, the list goes on.” he grinned down at her.
She barked a laugh. “You’re ridiculous, I hope you know that. But…” she huffed and rolled her eyes, “I guess you are a little right. Quite the adventure.”
Ekko walked them to the middle of the bridge before letting them continue on their own. “I trust you’ll be able to find your way from here,” he said.
Jayce walked up to him and held out his hand. “Thanks for everything, Ekko. Keep doing what you’re doing down there. You’re making a big difference for a lot of people, and if you ever need anything, you know where to find us.”
The young man eyed him for a second, his gaze shifting with suspicion and uncertainty, before clasping Jayce’s hand in his own. “You’re not so bad yourself, Talis. I’ll keep that in mind.”
With nods to Caitlyn and Viktor, he released his hold and turned back the way he came. Jayce watched him go for a moment. He knew they’d be okay, him and the two sisters, but he couldn’t help the concern that twisted in his stomach.
A gentle hand on his shoulder shook him out of his thoughts, and he turned to see Viktor’s piercing amber eyes peering into his own, compassion and understanding in his gaze.
“Come, Jayce,” he urged softly. “Let's go home.”
Screw the Council, Jayce was ready to fall flat on his face by the time they reached the steps of the academy and could only imagine how Viktor felt. Caitlyn had assured them that she would report to her mother and let her know that the two men would be ready to give their statement in the morning, but now they needed some well-earned rest.
“You’re a lifesaver, Cait, I owe you one,” Jayce had told her, giving her a hug before departing.
Viktor had allowed Jayce to support most of his body weight as they climbed the stairs to their lab, but he grimaced and groaned almost the whole way.
“You doing alright?” Jayce asked, tilting his head to look at his face better. He was only met with a deadpan stare before another wince. “Right. Stupid question. Got it.”
They had finally reached the floor they needed. Turning down the hall, Viktor froze in Jayce’s hold. Their research assistant, holding an armful of journals and pushing her half-moon glasses further up her nose, smiled when she saw them before her face fell in concern.
“Sky…” Jayce could barely hear Viktor’s words, a shaky breath only just toeing the line of audible.
It killed Sky, Jayce. She had such dreams.
Oh no.
“Are you two alright? What happened?” Sky worried, trotting up to the two of them. She seemed for a second that she couldn't decide whether to reach out and examine them for injuries or stay put, which manifested as a slight arm-flail before wrapping her hands around the books in her grasp. “Counselor Medarda stopped by earlier. She told me where you went and asked if you had returned.” She furrowed her brows as she turned her attention to Viktor. He had not taken his eyes off of her. They were wide open, almost fearful, and Jayce could see them starting to brim with tears.
“Viktor, what’s—”
“Hey, Sky?” Jayce interrupted, plastering an apologetic smile on his face. “As much as we’d love to talk, we’ve had a really long day and we’re both pretty tired and sore. I promise to fill you in on everything tomorrow, okay?”
A pang of guilt shot through him at the disappointment and slight hurt in Sky’s gaze, but he really needed to get Viktor to the lab. Sky would understand.
“O-of course,” she said, flashing a smile, albeit a bit of a disheartened one. “I’ll…see you both tomorrow.”
Jayce nodded. “Good night, Sky. Get home safe.”
Sky hummed and walked past Jayce and Viktor, shooting the slimmer man a glance before she departed down the stairs. Jayce dropped the façade as soon as she was out of earshot. Viktor was shaking in his hold, and as Jayce frantically walked to the doors of their lab he was almost dragging his partner with him. Viktor’s legs seemed to have gone weak, and Jayce had a feeling it wasn't due to their escapades.
When they finally entered the lab, as soon as the doors closed behind them, the floodgates opened. Painful wheezes escaped Viktor as Jayce felt his partner’s body go nearly limp in his grasp. He held the other man close to his chest and followed him to the floor. He didn’t need to see Viktor’s face to know that he had begun to cry, already feeling hot tears wet the fabric of his shirt.
“It’s okay, Vik, you’re okay. You’re okay,” he tried to soothe him, keeping one hand on Viktor’s lower spine and the other caressing the back of his head. “I’ve got you. I’ve got you.”
Breathless sobs were the only response he was given. Viktor’s hands clawed at the back of Jayce’s shirt, desperately grasping onto the material, looking for some sort of lifeline to hold onto as he wept. Each painful cry made Jayce’s heart shatter. He rubbed his hand up and down Viktor’s back and pressed his forehead into his hair. Tears and spit soaked the front of his shirt as Viktor cried himself to exhaustion against his chest. Jayce didn’t mind one bit.
Several minutes ticked by before Viktor calmed down, painful sobs morphing into dry heaves as he fought for breath. Jayce leaned back to look at Viktor. Tears left glistening trails down his face, their paths only amplified by the dust of Zaun’s streets.
“Hey, Vik? I need you to breathe with me, okay?” He asked, using the hand on the back of Viktor’s head to gently tilt his face upwards. No point in doing breathing exercises when one’s face was smothered. Viktor nodded, wiping his eyes and nose and taking deep, shaky breaths as best he could.
It was an action practiced by both of them many times. When the coldest of winters got to Jayce’s nerves, or when a particularly bad hacking fit would make Viktor lightheaded and breathless, gasping for air. It took a few minutes, but eventually Viktor’s breathing had slowed to as normal of a degree as he could get it. He was pale, and a few more tears dripped from his eyelashes.
“There we go, V,” Jayce breathed, rubbing soothing strokes behind Viktor’s ear with his thumb. “You’re okay. I’ve got you.”
Viktor’s eyes shone with leftover tears and were half-lidded with exhaustion as he met Jayce’s gaze, only to lean forward again and press himself into his partner’s chest. Jayce wrapped his arms around Viktor once more, holding him close. It was rare that Viktor sought out physical touch like this, if at all. Jayce didn’t know what had happened between Viktor and Sky, how she had lost her life to the arcane, but whatever happened weighed heavy on Viktor’s conscience. That much was evident.
“Vik…” Jayce started, choosing his words carefully. “I’m not sure what happened to Sky in our…where we came from.” He sighed, dipping his head to see if Viktor would meet his gaze. “..…but It’s eating you up inside. I can see it. You don’t have to tell me now, but when you’re ready I’d like to know what happened. If you can tell me.”
Viktor shook his head, burying himself deeper into Jayce’s chest as if he wanted his friend’s rib cage to open up and swallow him whole, to keep him caged forever as punishment for what he had done. “You’ll hate me-”
“Viktor, look at me.”
Viktor wasn’t expecting the abruptness, and couldn’t stop himself from meeting Jayce’s gaze. It was steely and determined, yet full of unwavering affection like always. Jayce put one hand on each shoulder, looking Viktor dead in the eyes.
“There is nothing—and I mean nothing—you could do that would ever make me hate you. We’re partners, for better or worse. Nothing you’ve ever done, or could ever do, will change that. Okay?”
Viktor gave a weak, mirthless chuckle. “That is one hell of a bar you’re setting there, Talis. I guess that means I just have to up my game.” Viktor was shocked that his snark managed to get a chuckle out of Jayce, but it was infuriatingly contagious, and Viktor’s sarcastic smirk grew a little more genuine.
But then it fell, and he couldn’t find himself able to meet Jayce’s gaze anymore. He couldn’t see Jayce’s brows raise in concern. Viktor took a deep breath. “Do you remember how I went to the undercity when the blockade was ordered…?”
He told Jayce everything. He recounted his relationship with Singed from when he was young, how he had helped him take care of Rio only to watch her fall ill and suffer at Singed’s hand, and later how the doctor had supplied him with a variant of Shimmer. He spoke of the initial searing pain and then complicated ecstasy as he experienced what it was like to run for the first time in his life. How his insatiable need to fix as much of himself as he could led to Sky finding him alone in the lab, his hand fused to the Hexcore with no escape. Viktor’s voice broke as he recalled how he’d seen the flesh peel from Sky’s face, everything but her glasses dissolving into dust, as she had tried to save him.
Jayce was silent as Viktor spoke. What could he even say? Words couldn’t even begin to touch the pain Viktor must have felt, was still feeling. He still wouldn’t meet his eyes. Jayce didn’t try to make him. Instead, he gently wrapped his arms around his partner and pulled him close once more. Viktor let him, closing his eyes as he surrendered to Jayce’s warmth.
“Gods, V.” Jayce felt Viktor physically shrink in his hold. Guilt panged in his stomach, and he only held Viktor closer. He didn’t hate Viktor after this confession. Not even close. “I’m so sorry.”
Viktor was still silent. Jayce could feel his partner’s chest rising and falling deliberately, in tandem with his own. Then Viktor shook his head.
“No. This is my burden to carry, not yours. You have nothing to be sorry for.”
“I should have been there-”
“Jayce Talis, you listen to me.” It was Viktor’s turn to be assertive, now looking Jayce dead in the eye for the first time in several minutes. “There is nothing you could have changed. There is no point dwelling on it now.”
“Hmph. Hypocrite,” Jayce smirked.
“Buď zticha,” Viktor grumbled in response, but he couldn’t help how the corner of his mouth quirked upwards against his will. Jayce was infuriatingly good at getting it to do that. Then Viktor hummed to himself, contemplative. “It…feels good getting that off of my chest.”
Jayce smiled down at him. “Good. That’s good.”
“We need to find a way to move forward,” Viktor said, meeting Jayce’s eyes. “We have a chance to make a change here, a real change, like we had wanted.” The spark had returned to his eyes, the gears in his brain turning and sparking once more. Jayce knew that look.
“What do you have in mind?”
He could tell Viktor was barely listening, any and all signs of how distraught he had been being replaced by nothing but circulating plans coming together.
“I believe I may know where to start. And, as a matter of fact, it involves Miss Young.”