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Ever since Jayce had joined the Council, Viktor found himself more and more isolated from his partner.
It seemed that Jayce was always busy nowadays, either attending to his new duties as a Councilor, or having intimate time with Mel. Viktor didn't mind the fact that Jayce was fulfilling his sexual desires through somebody else (after all, Viktor had no interest in that sort of thing anyway), but he found himself feeling lonely while Jayce was off having his "sessions" with the other Councilor. Viktor also wasn't entirely confident that Jayce and Mel's relationship was strictly physical, but that was besides the point.
Viktor was able to handle himself well enough- He wasn't completely hopeless in that regard. He'd had to learn how to watch over himself from a very young age anyways, having been orphaned when he was so young that he didn't even remember his parents. Being a child in the Undercity was hard (ESPECIALLY with his disability), but he'd managed a lonely but decent life down there, especially when Singed had temporarily taken him in for help with Rio.
However, as he grew older and his body withered away more and more, he couldn't help but find himself having troubles with some more basic tasks. Because, it was one thing to sit and work on the Hexcore. He just had to sit down and press some buttons- That wasn't taxing on his body in any way. But when it came to taking care of himself, he found himself having a lot more difficulty in that regard.
Prior to Jayce becoming a Councilor, he would help Viktor out with those sorts of things. After all, the two of them were partners, so they could rely on each other even when they felt pathetic in doing so. Jayce would assist Viktor in more difficult tasks like bathing or cooking without question, and he never made the Zaunite feel too pathetic over it because he understood that Viktor just needed a little extra help with certain things due to his disability.
But, when Jayce had become a Councilor and stopped spending much time with the scientist, he realized how difficult life was without the extra help.
Unable to cook his own meals and too afraid to ask someone, Viktor found himself eating less and less. Thankfully, Sky would still bring him little snacks (as she had always done to show her appreciation of him) and he could still make coffee without issue, so it's not like he just stopped eating all together, but he definitely was eating far less than he was supposed to. This led to his already withering body growing even weaker, and he found himself relying even more on his cane each day.
Jayce came back to the lab one day to find Viktor hunched over in his chair, working on the Hexcore with so much attention that he hadn't even noticed the Councilor enter the room. The room itself was dark, but the Hexcore illuminated enough to where Jayce could clearly make out his partner's eyebags and thin frame as he tirelessly worked away on their next big invention, only occasionally disrupted by some coughs.
Jayce sighed, a bit disappointed in himself. He'd been so caught up in his growing corruption into being a capitalist scumbag that he had neglected Viktor for a full week, only having a few very brief interactions with him throughout said week. Of course, he knew that Viktor needed the extra help (he wasn't that much of a moron), and he knew that Viktor would be too afraid to ask someone else for it... He felt bad for not providing Viktor with the attention and help he needed, and decided to try and remedy that to an extent.
"Hey, Vik" he started awkwardly. Viktor seemed startled by the sudden presence of somebody else in the room but quickly relaxed when it was revealed to just be Jayce. He still felt a bit of bitterness towards his partner for having pretty much ignored him for a week, but he still couldn't help but smile when he looked at the almost sheepish expression on his face. "Hello, Jayce"
"I'm uh..." Jayce scratched at the back of his neck as he mustered up the courage to apologize. "I'm sorry for disappearing on you all week" he offered, making shaky eye contact with the scientist. A part of Viktor wanted to snap at him for the shitty person he was becoming, but he decided against it and instead just shrugged, turning his attention back to the Hexcore. "You had duties you needed to attend to" he reasoned, both trying to convince Jayce and himself that it wasn't a big deal. "You're a Councilor now, Jayce. I can't expect to have that much of your time"
Jayce felt his worries ease slightly at that, but he still felt a bit guilty, especially seeing how thin and unkept Viktor was. "Have you been eating at least?" the Councilor asked cautiously, pulling up a chair at the desk next to the other man and sitting down. "I've been eating enough" Viktor deflected, avoiding eye contact with the man. Jayce sighed once more, feeling pity for his friend. "I don't need sympathy if that's why you're here" Viktor said bitterly, as though reading his mind.
"I didn't come here for that" Jayce replied. Viktor just glanced at him, clearly annoyed but too tired to say or do anything. He wasn't even angry at Jayce, he was just hungry and tired. He was also unfortunately reminded of his less than ideal childhood, though he had an easier time taking care of himself back then. His thoughts were cut off by a small set of coughs and an all too familiar rattle in his lungs as he did so. Jayce frowned as he watched his partner struggling.
"You can go if you want" Viktor waved his hand aside after the coughing subsided. "You have Council duties to attend to, I get it. I can handle myself" he dismissed, but Jayce wasn't going anywhere. "Viktor, let me take care of you" he said, firm but gentle. Viktor looked at him, something a bit sad in his eyes. He looked back at the Hexcore, which was still pulsating as it did, and he sighed before getting himself into a standing position. Jayce reached out an arm to try and help him up but got brushed aside as the man got up himself.
"Alright" Viktor sighed, realizing that he did in fact need help. "Do your worst"
The first place Jayce brought him to was the kitchen.
They used to go there almost daily to make their meals. The two had actually become pretty good at cooking over the years, but they stopped when Jayce became a Councilor because he was suddenly too busy for this routine bonding time. Viktor had only tried going there once but had been super exhausted by the time he got there. It was down many flights of stairs (which was already difficult to get down because of his leg) and by the time he had gotten down there, he was far too drained to walk around the room and make anything. Sky ended up helping him back to his room.
But now, here they were. Viktor and Jayce. Jayce and Viktor. The founders of Hextech. The original duo, back at it. Cooking. It was late as hell and pitch black outside, but Jayce helped his partner down the stairs as he always did, no sense of hesitation or tiredness. It made the disabled man temporarily forget his frustrations toward him. It took him back to all those times (pretty much daily) when they would go down there together and just goof around while they made their breakfast (or whatever meal they happened to be making) together. It was far too late for a full meal, but Jayce brought him back anyway because he needed it.
When they got to the ground level, Jayce helped Viktor to sit down as he recovered from the trip. Viktor pulled out his handkerchief and coughed into it, wincing as some blood came up. Jayce frowned as he saw the unfortunate condition his friend was in and just sat next to him on his own chair, placing a gentle hand on his partner's shoulder. Viktor smiled at this. It was a small gesture, but he found it harder and harder to stay mad at the guy. "Thanks for bringing me down here" he said with a rattle of his lungs once the coughing stopped. Jayce just nodded before standing up.
"So..." the Councilor ran his fingers over his knuckles awkwardly as he looked around the kitchen, trying to remember where everything was. He hadn't been Councilor for very long, but he had already grown accustomed to the special services that those in the Council were given. Private showings of orchestras. Access to more advanced technology in their everyday lives. And... Of course... Private catering and meals, meaning that he no longer really needed to go down to the kitchen anymore.
Viktor was different.
Even though his contributions to Hextech were just as important as his partner's, he wasn't a Councilor or actually involved in the Council in any direct way. He was friends with Heimerdinger and acquaintances with the other Councilors, but his say in the Council itself had little more importance than that of Jayce's mother all those years back. The Council would still hear him out because of his connection to Jayce, but they didn't ever prioritize his own opinions, especially considering that he was from the Undercity.
He didn't mind this, though. He understood his place in the system and also didn't want the pressure of having a say in the Council. He especially didn't want that for himself once he saw the man that Jayce was becoming. In his heart of hearts, he knew that the Council logically could not genuinely corrupt someone as quickly as Jayce had and that it probably had more to do with Jayce himself, but he didn't want to risk becoming a capitalist scumbag. He was perfectly content being Jayce's partner without all the other stuff. And, sure... It hurt to see himself being left behind, but he couldn't bring himself to be very upset about it. He was far too tired for that.
"What would you like for food?" Jayce asked after a moment of silence that Viktor patiently waited through. The Zaunite thought for a moment before chuckling and getting himself standing again. "You're the idea man in this duo" he joked, walking over to his partner and placing a shaky hand on his shoulder. "You came up with the Hexcore" Jayce countered, to which Viktor paused before smiling softly. "I suppose I did, didn't I?" he chuckled to himself. "Well, in that case, I think some sort of fish would do nicely"
"You're really leaning into the whole fish aspect of being a pescatarian, huh?" Jayce joked as he opened a chest full of smoked meats and found a nice, big fish. "It's one of the nicer parts of my specific life changes" Viktor replied with a smile. "Back in the Undercity, we didn't have the resources to grow many plants, so a lot of our food down there was meat" He remembered the Undercity fondly, even if it had been a less than ideal childhood that left him with a terminal lung disease. "I remember when I was younger, I used to go to Jericho's often and get what I could afford with what scraps I found"
"You've mentioned this Jericho guy a few times before" Jayce observed as he placed the fish on a metal slab and put the slab on into a metal box, lighting a fire under the slab as he did so. It was a very inconvenient oven, sure, but it was also one of the most advanced and efficient ways of cooking food that they had. Viktor nodded as Jayce sat down once again, and he joined him, sighing in relief as the growing ache in his knees was eased again. "He's one of the best chefs down there" Viktor smiled to himself. "But, you would probably find his craft disgusting"
"What made you decide to change your eating habits when you got up here?" Jayce asked, expecting some spiel about how the growing meat industry was bad or how he had a really close relationship with a pig or something. Instead, Viktor just shrugged. "I guess I just realized that the plants up here taste better than most of the meat back in the Undercity" he explained, to which Jayce nodded to show he was listening. "Come to think of it, I think the only food back in the Undercity that I actually enjoyed was Jericho's"
Jayce smiled. It wasn't an answer he had expected but it was so distinctly Viktor that he didn't care.
Eventually, the fish was done in the oven and Jayce pulled it out carefully, setting it on the counter. Viktor stood up once more and walked over to the spice rack, eyeing it carefully. "Take a picture- It'll last longer" the Councilor joked, earning him a playful elbow to the ribs. Whenever they would cook meats like this, Jayce was always the one to do the more technical things like preparing it to be cooked and putting it in and out of the oven, while Viktor was usually the one to do the post-oven stuff like seasoning. It was just what they were both better at and therefore enjoyed more.
Eventually, Viktor found a nice array of spices. A good balance of what both he and Jayce enjoyed in meat without ending up gross or whiplash-inducing. He evenly sprinkled the spices across the fish, constantly checking to make sure that he hadn't put too much or too little in each spot. Once that part was eventually done, he took one of the longer knives they had and sliced the completed fish into several slices so that they would both have an easier time finishing the thing.
When he finished, he and Jayce sat back down and ate the whole thing and the hunger pains were finally eased.
It was even later in the night by the time they decided to go back up to the lab, but thankfully Jayce was still awake enough to help his disabled friend with the stairs. Viktor couldn't help but still feel a bit of uneasiness that lingered in the back of his head like a headache, but he tried his best to ignore it. He knew that Jayce would probably have to leave him soon for some Council duties and he knew that there was a decent possibility of being neglected again, but he really didn't want to think of that. Truthfully, he enjoyed this time with his partner and did not want it to stop anytime soon.
"I'm glad you finally ate something, Vik" Jayce said softly as he helped the scientist back into the lab. Viktor returned him a kind smile, but that was cut off by a new round of coughs and he stumbled. Jayce thankfully caught him and helped him to sit back down in his chair. He looked over miserably at the Hexcore, to which the Councilor frowned. "Still no luck?" he asked sympathetically, grabbing a chair of his own and sitting next to his partner. Viktor sighed. "It's still rejecting the mutation"
"You'll figure it out!" Jayce tried to reassure, but Viktor wasn't convinced. He also didn't want to be the one figuring it out, not by himself at least. He wanted Jayce to help him research this, just as he had always done in the past. He missed all those late nights where they would stay up, working on their latest research and calculations on the big blackboard while talking and laughing the whole time. Late nights where a guard had to tell them to quiet down because they were being too loud. Late nights of them sneaking downstairs and stealing snacks from the kitchen to aid in their research.
"Jayce, I can't do this all alone" Viktor said with an exhausted sigh as he rested his head in his hand. Jayce felt a pang of guilt in the pit of his stomach. Good Viktor thought to himself as he saw his partner's guilty expression. Of course, he didn't want Jayce to feel too bad about the person he was becoming, because Viktor still loved him even now. But, he also thought that maybe Jayce deserved to be knocked down a peg, even in a minor way. Viktor had been the one who'd help bring him to the success he now had more than anyone else... He deserved better than the scraps of attention Jayce now gave him.
"You're not doing this alone" Jayce assured him, to which he just chuckled. "No, right, I forgot..." Viktor laughed bitterly to himself. "You're the man of progress, right..."
Jayce felt a little bit frustrated with the way that Viktor was talking to him, but he couldn't find it in his heart to stay mad at the Zaunite. Because, deep down, he knew that the person he was becoming was not an ideal one. He had even resorted to sleazy deals with other Councilors and patrons, despite his firm stance against the very corruption he was now involved in. Of course, he wouldn't do anything to fix his behavior (it was much easier to just blame his issues on others rather than admit he was unfit to be at the position he now held), but that sense of shame still lingered in his subconscious.
"Viktor, when was the last time you bathed?" the Councilor asked, desperately wanting to change the subject. Viktor scoffed. "Changing the subject to insulting my hygiene now, huh?" Jayce sighed. "Vik, I'm being serious" he pressed. "I'm not judging you, I just am asking because I know you've had trouble with that in the past because of your disabilities-"
"I am not that hopeless" Viktor cut in sharply, his frustration with his friend returning in spades. Jayce exhaled sharply but kept his composure. "I'm not saying you're hopeless, Viktor" he said cautiously, though it was a bit difficult to mask the annoyance in his voice. Viktor turned away, messing around with the Hexcore a bit, just watching it rotate around with little blue sparks occasionally coming off of it. "You're not hopeless" Jayce said again. Viktor glanced at him briefly and then sighed.
"I haven't bathed in about a week" he admitted, avoiding his partner's gaze. Jayce nodded in acknowledgment before standing up. "What are you doing?" Viktor looked at him in confusion. Jayce smiled. "We're gonna fix this"
They entered the bathroom, Viktor standing on his own two feet with the assistance of his cane. He already felt pathetic enough, needing his partner's help with something as simple as bathing. Of course, Jayce didn't see him as pathetic. He just needed more help with certain tasks because of his disability- It didn't make him any more or less competent as a human, but Viktor felt otherwise. The Undercity just never accommodated to his disability growing up, and it made him feel lesser than, as much as he hated to admit it. It wasn't even that people were rude (the Undercity had to be accepting of pretty much everyone considering the nature of it), but a place where your primary mode of travel was literal parkour was never really good for people like him.
So, he insisted on walking there himself.
He even undressed and got into the bathtub himself, though his muscles ached and burned as he did so. Jayce kept an expression of concern as he saw Viktor's deep gasps of pain once he sat down in the tub, but he allowed the man to go in without assistance. It's not like the scientist would allow him to help anyways. However, once Viktor got himself into the bath, Jayce ran the water to just let the disabled man finally relax. Viktor gave him a look but said nothing, instead opting to just let his tense, aching muscles finally relax a bit. Jayce chuckled as he heard a relieved sigh from his partner.
"You laugh at a crippled man?" Viktor teased, his eyes peacefully shut. "I just forgot what you look like when you aren't so high strung" Jayce quipped back. "You're calling me uptight now?" the scientist flicked some water at the other man, getting an overly dramatic "Hey! I just bought this suit!" followed by a chuckle that confirmed he wasn't actually upset over some water. "Always so dramatic" Viktor replied with an amused smile. "You have enough money to buy a mansion of your own at this point- I'm sure you can afford to give your precious suit a wash"
Jayce smiled. "I've missed you" he said gently. Viktor scoffed. "I'm serious" the Councilor insisted. Viktor gave him a look of distrust. "I feel guilty because I've neglected your needs, yes" Jayce admitted in response to the inquisitive look he was being given. Viktor looked away at that. "But, I've also just missed spending time with you, Viktor" he stated. "You're my best friend, and I love you. You know that"
"Do I?"
...
"I hope I can fix things between us, Vik" Jayce sighed, grabbing a bottle of shampoo. "Now, sit up" he instructed. "We didn't come in here for nothing"