Chapter Text
It wasn’t unusual for Viktor to stay up late in the lab, long after everyone else had retired to their rooms. Long past even Jayce had given up on convincing him to go to bed. He was getting worse and worse at knowing when to call it a day. He felt like he couldn’t afford to spend time away from the lab. Not when his coughing fits were getting worse. Tonight was no different.
Jayce had left early, he was full of new responsibilities away from the lab now that he was on the council. He had left a cup of coffee with Viktor and told him not to sleep in the lab again, but the coffee was long cold and Viktor wasn’t planning on sleeping anyways.
Now Viktor leaned over the desk where the hexcore was kept. Alone in the lab, trying combination after combination, his eyes already red and sore from staring at the glowing thing. He couldn’t sit down while using the apparat to try the different runes and he could feel his legs complaining about it. But there was a finite amount of combinations, and the possibility of the next one being the one that would unlock some new magical effect taunted him. He couldn’t give up just now. Even if his vision was starting to get blurry. Even if his throat hurted. Even if his coughs echoed through the empty lab. Even if his blood stained the desk.
No. He was almost there, he could feel the Hexcore responding to him. It swelled and turned without him moving the runes. It appeared to have some sort of gravitational effect; he could see the blood he’d spat at the desk be pulled into it, floating towards the Hexcore. It glowed a shade warmer, it pulsed with life. He was reaching a breakthrough he could feel it.
But before he could see anything else his vision closed out as if he’d fallen down a well. He gasped for air through his burning coppery tasting throat, but his knees gave out and now he was actually falling.
Somewhere else not too far away the deep breathing of two people could be heard harmonizing with one another. The air didn’t smell of blood and metal, but of other fluids and satin. Mel and Jayce glistened with sweat like freshly anointed saints. She was already sleeping, smile still in her lips, but Jayce stared up at the sealing. So much had happened in his life recently. A couple years ago he almost lost it all and then he got more than he could have wished for. He closed his eyes and let out a long delighted sigh.
He had to open his eyes again not long after, however, as someone knocks on the door. He frowned and considered ignoring it. Who could it be at this hour? But whoever it was they were insistent and so Jayce went to answer the door before they could wake Mel.
“This better be important.” He said briskly through a crack in the door.
“Viktor is in the medical wing. It sounded urgent.” The person said, and Jayce’s eyes went from squinting with suspicion to wide with anxiety. Viktor had been doing worse. He shouldn’t have let him alone in the lab. He should have insisted on walking Viktor to his room before he went to talk to Mel. Jayce looked back to her, still sleeping peacefully in the bed, her hair displayed around her head as a crown or a hallow. He nodded at the messenger. “I’m coming.”
Later on, her hair was still displayed on the pillow around her like a crown and Mel stretched on the bed like a lioness as the first rays of sun shone warmly against her dark skin. With a soft smile still on her face she reached out for someone else, her eyes opening up lazily. But there wasn’t anyone in the bed with her. And now that her eyes were open she could see there wasn’t anyone in the room either. She sighed, the soft smile fluttering away from her face.
Jayce had been rushing through the corridors of the academy to get to the medical wing, but now that he was almost there he slowed his pace. Walked with softer footsteps so as to not disturb the people here, not disturb Viktor. If he was being honest he also needed the extra seconds to gather himself. His mind had been going through all the worst case scenarios on his way here and now it would be better if he put on a brave face for Viktor even if he felt like crying at the idea that his partner was withering away.
He couldn’t have done any of it without Viktor. Not only because Viktor had saved his life, but because he’d been there every step of the way. Every breakthrough and invention was Viktor’s as much as it was his even if it was Jayce’s face stamped on the posters and zeppelins. Viktor had always been there for him and he needed to be there for Viktor now. He could do it. He takes a deep breath reaching the door and opens it up.
“Viktor-“ He hadn’t meant to say it like this, like he was gasping for air while drowning, like a plea. He’d meant to say it softly while still maintaining his shoulders straight so that Viktor knew he could cry on them if he needed to. But then he didn’t expect to see Viktor sitting on the corner of the bed leaning slightly over something he held. If he was sitting instead of laying down maybe… Jayce didn’t want to allow hope to grow within him until after he got all the information. “Viktor.” He said again, the hope peaking through his words just slightly.
“Jayce, shhhh.” Viktor shushed him softly looking to Jayce over his shoulder for a brief moment before looking back down to the bundle he held “She’s sleeping.”
What? Who was sleeping? Jayce stood still by the door for a moment. Was Viktor holding a- Soft not quite babbling sounds came from the bundle Viktor was holding and he shushed again, gentler. It was a baby.
How? Jayce approached Viktor gently, watching his steps. As he walked around the bed he could see the bundle of fabric Viktor held in his arms, a small round face peeking out of it, eyes still closed. Viktor looked down at the baby in adoration, his eyes were still sunken and tired with heavy bags hanging from them, but they had a spark in it Jayce had only seen a handful of times in their multiple years working together.
Jayce kneeled down in front of Viktor to look at the baby. This certainly wasn’t what he was expecting when he’d been told Viktor was in the medical wing. “Vik, whose baby is this?”
Viktor let out a soft chuckle, maybe he thought the situation was just absurd as Jayce thought it was. Or he could be coughing. “She’s mine.” He answered and the proud disbelief of his voice made Jayce sure it had been a chuckle.
Jayce really hadn’t seen this coming. When had-? He really hadn’t pegged Viktor for-… Who was-? Where was-? A thousand questions rushed through his mind as he looked at Viktor and at the baby and back at Viktor, who at this point seemed amused by Jayce’s confusion, his lips curling up involuntarily. “Wha- What?” Is all he could formulate. Which earned him another one of Victor’s rare chuckles.
“Very eloquent,” Viktor teased softly (someone was in a good mood) before being gracious enough to explain the situation further instead of waiting for Jayce to come up with a proper question. “The theory I am working with is that she is mine. I still don’t understand how, but when in contact with my blood the Hexcore…” Viktor stoped talking for a moment, looked down at the baby and brushed her cheek with his finger. Jayce wasn’t quite sure he was following or if any of this made sense at all, but when Viktor brushed her cheek she opened her eyes and they glowed blue. Bright blue light lit up her face and Viktor’s. Just like hextech. She blinked and her eyes settled into a pale almost lilac blue.
“How is this possible?” Jayce breathed out meeting Viktor’s eyes, his own eyes had that same spark now.
“Just a few years ago no one thought portals were possible. We have already made the impossible possible.” Viktor said through a soft smile, his accent weaving through his words. “What is another miracle?” His smile tilted mischievously, as if breaking the known laws of nature was a fun prank he and Jayce did every so often.
Jayce smiled back at him, it was true that together they had accomplished the unthinkable and brought magic to the daily lives of Piltovans. “I was worried when I was told you were on the medical wing.” Jayce started speaking again after a moment, “But everything is alright? With you and her both?” He asked.
Viktor exhaled slowly and gave Jayce a nod “Yes. Well… I did have to be brought here for fainting in the lab, but it is nothing to worry about. The doctors did examine her and, although they weren’t sure of what to make of her- uhh, birth, they said there’s nothing wrong with her.”
"That 's good.” Jayce said relieved, a smile spreading through his lips as he put down the worry that he had been carrying here.
Viktor's smile turned bittersweet at that and Jayce realized there had been a heaviness in Viktor’s voice answering the last question. He opened his mouth to ask what was wrong, but Viktor spoke first. “The hexcore didn’t respond well to living specimens in the past, and often in case of living experiments or mutations they have a shorter life expectancy. Besides…” Viktor added in a softer “the sample the hexcore used wasn’t exactly healthy either.” He looked down at the baby’s hands reaching for his finger, avoiding both her and Jayce’s eyes in guilt. “I am afraid to have doomed her.”
“Viktor…” Jayce said gently, he could see his partner’s distress over the subject “We can talk to more medics and do our own research on the hexcore, but you didn’t doom her. You couldn’t have known this would be the result of your actions. And from all we know she is perfectly healthy. Now that we have her the only thing left to do is give her the best life we can give her.” Jayce reasoned and it seemed to be the right thing for him to speak as Viktor’s eyes lit up in hope for a moment before the scientist made himself bury that hope down again.
“I can’t give her away to a family.” Viktor said, as if he assumed that was the best life she could be given, one in a big Piltovan house with two fluffy poros. “Maybe this is the right thing to do but… she’s mine. And she is magic.” His voice lilted, still getting used to the idea.
“We will figure it out. She is part of our hextech dream now.” Jayce said and Viktor looked up from the baby to smile at him, the affection he had for the baby still lingered in his eyes while he smiled at Jayce and Jayce felt a tug on his heart. Of course he couldn’t separate Viktor from someone he already clearly loved. He smiled back at Viktor. “Does she have a name already?”
“Zhenya,” Viktor responded, his smile widening, “It is short for Evgeniya. Meaning well born.”