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The sunset burned a red hue reflecting its rays on Jayce and Vi as they made their way across the bridge from Zaun to Piltover. The metal pillars shone creating an ephemeral glow basking them in its light. Their skin looked like it was coating in blood— some of it was after their mission that day.
They were a part of a small task force required to remove a lone gang pushing the last remnants of Shimmer around the undercity. Jayce deemed it most effective to use the little Hextech weapons they had to quickly remove the group, in the hopes of finally creating some peace in the city. The mission was initially going to plan, Vi and Jayce more or less working well together when it was just removing hoards of gang members, the combined force of the Atlas Gauntlets and Jayce’s hammer providing the necessary combination of long and short ranged attacks. Although, once they had to fine-tune their strikes without blowing up the whole base to capture the remaining leaders— that’s when things went to shit, as Jayce had recalled to Vi on the elevator up afterwards.
Vi and Jayce were smart and powerful by themselves, but as soon as they had to work together to take down the kingpin of the gang, suddenly their skills evaporated like smoke in the fissures. Jayce remembers the incident and cringes to himself as they continue on the bridge. He hadn’t realised Vi had been hiding in the rafters to jump down on the leader as he was escaping, so when Jayce saw him he instantly tried to blast his weapons right where Vi was jumping down. He quickly moved his aim last minute obliterating a hole in the support beams, essentially sentencing, not just the gang’s ringleader— but Jayce and Vi to their deaths. The timber and brick began to crumble at an alarming pace, creating a cacophonic orchestra, its sounds bouncing off the remaining walls of the building. Vi had looked to Jayce wide-eyed before both of them burst into action and used their Hextech weapons to propel themselves out of the tsunami of debris to the building’s exit.
Now, they walked along the bridge, coated in dust, bloodied, and filled with pain from injuries they try to pretend aren’t there. Another emotion fills their silenced walk— guilt. Both parties have ties to the undercities, whether it be themselves or through others, so attacking them creates a giant ball of guilt in their stomach growing and growing every time they do one of these missions. It’s shown by Vi averting her gaze and clenching and unclenching the Atlas Gauntlets and Jayce letting his shoulder sag from his hammer even though it is impossibly light. Jayce and Viktor’s goal was to try and improve the well-being of the undercity, but whenever Jayce picks up the hammer, no matter how dangerous the threat may be, he feels he is taking a step backwards. For many people in Zaun they don’t have a choice but to turn to crime, so the necessary evils they have to commit for survival land them at the other end of an enforcer’s pistol, or Jayce’s hammer.
This is why Hextech is so important to Jayce and his partner, to stop these missions and to stop the look in Viktor’s eyes every time Jayce comes back from one.
They walked through Piltover, deciding the evening air would be good for their conscience. They trudged along in silence, the red sky fading away into a sea of stars, with the Hexgate illuminating the dark expanse like a portal into another world.
As they came closer to the lab Jayce’s heart began to race at the thought of seeing Viktor again. Everytime he leaves to do something even remotely dangerous his brain flashes through all possible scenarios when he doesn’t come back— when he can never see Viktor again. Even the slightest probability that he won’t return alive sends him into the spiral. The thought of never seeing his awkward smile that makes his mole above his lip move in a little dance, paired perfectly with the crease of his dimples, make Jayce’s insides glow when he sifts through the memories they have together. Over the past few years, the term “partner” that has encompassed them, has gained many meanings from just “research buddy” to “friend” then to “lover”. It is a label that fully describes their relationship in a way no other word could.
As they walk through the building to their lab, the guilt is pushed to the back of his mind as all Jayce can think about is enveloping Viktor in his arms as quickly as possible. So, that is exactly what he does when he dramatically pushes the double doors to their lab open, with a loud “Viktor!” and embraces him from where he is working, head in a book.
“Woah, woah, at least let me finish what I’m doing”. Viktor chastises in a voice croaky from little use over the last few hours. Albeit, he awkwardly tries to turn in his seat to half return the hug.
“No”. Jayce simply responds and pulls him closer.
“Uh, hello?” Vi’s voice breaks through the little pocket of time Jayce and Viktor had sealed themselves in. “Jayce, you said you could give me dinner and I’m not gonna lie, I’m pretty hungry, so can you stop whatever you’re doing,” She waves her hand at them, “And bring a woman some food”.
“Jeez, you would never hear me say that about you and Caitlyn”. Jayce retorts, chafed. But he leaves his partner anyway to rummage around in the fridge to find some leftovers to heat up, which were many to choose from because at this point they might as well be living in their lab.
“So,” Jayce hears Viktor say as Vi plonks down in a spare chair next to him, “Didn’t go so well?”.
“How did you know!?” Vi and Jayce say simultaneously, but Viktor just shrugs and smirks.
“I can just tell”.
“Jayce”, Vi draws out his name with the amount of irritation that is meant to provoke a friend but never make them truly angry, “Almost killed me, he aimed his hammer directly at me.”
“Accidentally!” Jayce cut in from where he was heating up some leftover stew with a blow torch for lab experiments. Viktor and Vi exchanged a glance and smirked, making Jayce give an exasperated sigh.
“How terrible of you Jayce”, Viktor asked, “I would be worried for the two of you's safety if this wasn’t such a common occurrence and the fact that you come out virtually unscathed, for a battle at least.” Viktor continued, “At this point Jayce I question your intelligence, we managed to invent Hextech together but you can’t even use it to aim in the right direction!”
“Thanks for that Vi!” Jayce says, “But other than that, the mission was successful, one of many successful missions we’ve had, I might add”. Jayce remarks trying to defend his skills.
“In the grand scheme of things,” Vi adds, “We make a pretty good team.”
With that, Viktor simply bursts out laughing.
“Well we—” Vi tries, but Viktor just keeps on going, Jayce knows he is supposed to be annoyed but he can’t help but feel is cheeks glow red at the way Viktor’s amber eyes crease into a shape that makes them look like they’re smiling too and how the back of his hand gracefully covers his mouth. It was a rare sight to see Viktor smile when they first met and Jayce is glad that Viktor has become comfortable enough with him to do that openly.
“Anyways,” Vi says louder to capture everyone’s attention once Jayce brings over their food. Viktor’s laughter quiets to a small chuckle. “I would like to take credit for the creation of Hextech and the two of you getting together because of my interference, or ‘first unofficial team-up with Jayce.’”
“That’s a bold statement.” Jayce responds.
Vi continues, “So you know that apartment you had…” Jayce and Viktor are silent, Jayce has a bad feeling about what she’s going to say next. “I kinda blew it up.”
The atmosphere was still as if you could hear every particle in the air floating around. The calm before a wave, the quiet before the storm. Then crack.
“You blew my house up!” Jayce screamed, “You know full well that led to me almost getting exiled from this city, losing my place at the Academy, and having my family’s reputation tarnished.” Jayce was absolutely fuming.
Vi simply replied, “The key word in that sentence was almost.”
“That is not the point!”
“Jayce, you know we would not have met if Vi, well, blew up your apartment.” Viktor added.
“Exactly! This guy understands where I’m coming from!” Vi slaps her hand on Viktor’s back, making him move his chair away from her, trying to escape her excitement for the not so cheery topic of Jayce’s entire life almost being ruined. “You see, once my family and I made that… error with the gemstones, it led to your research being discovered by the authorities.” Jayce put his face in his hands, cringing at the memory. “Leading to Viktor discovering you in your washed out state, to you teaming up and creating Hextech… and the rest is history! I wouldn’t even be in this room telling you about this historic catalyst if I didn’t decide to rob your house.”
Jayce had to acknowledge that Vi had a point, he was a scientist, making concessions and admitting he was wrong pathed the way for stronger futures after all, but he will not let this go that easily. “Do you know the amount of emotional strife that it gave me? With your ‘who can steal the most science experiments competition’ with your family.” He grabbed a fistful of his hair and brought it so the two could see. “I was so stressed, I started going gray, at twenty-four!”
“I’m sorry for your loss.” Vi simply replied.
Viktor started chuckling again. Suddenly all of the anger that was pent up inside of Jayce fizzled out, like the electricity of one of their gemstones. Although initially it felt like his life was effectively ruined, he would have his apartment blown up by some angry Zaunites millions of times if it meant he could meet Viktor and feel the way he does in moments like these; where Viktor’s smile warms up his entire body inside-out. Jayce couldn’t help but reach for his hand, his calloused skin rough against his palm from hours in the lab tinkering with the next world-changing device. Jayce didn’t mind, he loved every part of Vikor, he found it impossible to see any imperfections in him, so he rubbed his hand as Viktor’s eyes like the burning sun met his, creating a truly tender moment between them.
“You see, if your apartment was still intact, I wouldn’t have to sit and watch you two stare longingly into each other's souls.” Vi’s voice broke the bubble that Viktor and Jayce had created, Jayce glared at her.
“Jayce, she does have a point.” Viktor’s eyes met his again, oh, how Jayce could gaze at them forever. “What’s one apartment for the entire world we have built? In my opinion, this, uh, ‘unofficial team-up’ of yours, was quite the success. Plus, I don’t mind the gray, it suits you.” Viktor smiled bashfully, looking down at their entwined hands.
Before Jayce’s cheeks could turn the scarlett hue they were meant to because of his comment, Vi jumped up pumping her fist in the air. “I told you so! We make a great team!” Jayce cringed slightly from her enthusiasm for large scale vandalism, but gave her smile anyway. “Well, I’m glad you now know about this amazing first mission of ours, but I better go see Cait.” Vi walked over to the container holding the remaining stew, “And I'm taking this by the way.” And quickly left the lab.
Jayce flopped his neck back then forward sighing, now Vi was gone the guilt slowly crept back. “I really feel we’re close to cracking the code Vik, to bringing Hextech to the Undercity, so I don’t have to do these missions, so no one else gets hurt because of Piltover’s negligence.”
Viktor's eyes met his. “I know.” He let out a thoughtful breath, as if carefully considering his next words. “I don’t like that this is the current solution, I know you don’t either, now you know the impacts first-hand. No one deserves to have their lives controlled by Shimmer, whether it’s pushing it or taking it. I know we can make their lives better, without having to use violence to clear away these gangs.” He paused. “Look at everything we have already accomplished.” He gestured around the room. “In no time you won’t have to pick up that hammer again and Zaunites won’t have to break into scientist’s apartments.” Viktor smiled.
The guilt still felt heavy in Jayce’s gut, but he now felt more hopeful than ever that he can lessen the weight of his errors so no one in Zaun feels that joining a gang is the only option— so nobody like Viktor has to struggle. Jayce returned Viktor’s smile, “Thanks Viktor, truly. I want to make a change. And I know I can do it with you.” Jayce stopped, then said. “But I still wish my old apartment wasn’t blown to smithereens.”
“Well I for one think this lab is much better than your old apartment.” Vikor jokes. Jayce grins and moves to cup his partner’s hands in his cheeks, he smiles and leans forward as Viktor does the same, their lips meeting in the middle. Their kiss was soft and subtle, lips moving like they have done many times before, but always seeming to make Jayce love Viktor a little bit more. He smiled into his mouth, an immense wave of gratitude washing over him that his turbulent life led him to this place, to this person. When they broke for air, he realised he had to do something.
Jayce began running out of the lab as Viktor said, “What? Where are you going?” Jayce still felt his lips tingle as he ran down the Academy’s halls, his mind racing with all of the memories they were able to share together through these long years.
This meant that when he managed to catch up to Vi as she neared the exit, he truly, wholeheartedly meant it when he said, voice full of appreciation and praise, “Thank you for blowing my apartment up!”