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Chapter Text

The first time Jayce realised, fully and truly realised, that he would lose his husband sooner rather than later, it was around nine at night, as they tried to get the last of these calculations done before a presentation tomorrow. So focused on work, Jayce hadn’t even realised how late it had gotten, sighing when he realised that he’d now have to try and pull Viktor away from his own work, which rarely took less than half an hour.

He looked over at Viktor, seeing him still working tirelessly across the room, noticing the weary look on his face.

He was getting tired a lot quicker and lot more frequently recently. Enough for others to take notice, with both Mel and Sky pulling Jayce into a corner to express their concerns.

Viktor had been working almost non-stop for the past two weeks, but with the deadline, Jayce hadn’t thought anything more about it.

They needed a break, and Jayce was determined to give him that when this presentation was over and done with.

He examined him a little closer, seeing how tense his body was and the dark circles around his eyes. He could see the pain in his eyes every time he moved; hear it in his voice as he explained his latest theory.

Sighing, Jayce got to his feet, moving to pull his husband away from his work, only to see Viktor getting to his feet… well, attempting to.

He didn’t quite manage to suppress the groan that burst from his lips as he tried to stand, one had on the desk for leverage as his other hand reached out for his crutch.

He fell back onto his chair with another pained groan, and Jayce realised what was happening.

Viktor was no longer strong enough to stand up from a seated position. His muscles were too weak for that.

“Viktor- “

“- I may need your assistance.” Viktor gritted out, looking away and avoiding all eye contact.

Jayce knew what Viktor would see if he did look at him… the fear in his eyes. He took a deep breath, knowing that this was one of the most difficult things Viktor had ever done…asking for help like this.

He made his way over, “Tell me want you want.” He whispered softly.

Turning in the chair, Viktor hold out his hand, still firmly gripping his crutch in the other one. He still avoided Jayce’s eyes, not wanting to see the panic there, “Take me hand… I can use the crutch for the rest.”

“Okay.”

He was afraid.

Afraid of letting his husband, his mate fall; afraid of seeing the omega this vulnerable; afraid of accidentally showing how miserable he was and pushing Viktor away. He took Viktor’s hand, wrapping his other arm around the other’s waist, wanting him to be secure.

On the count of three, Viktor used the crutch to push himself up, Jayce adding his own strength to help his stand. After a few seconds passed, he asked, “Are you feeling dizzy?”

Viktor was silent for a moment, before weakly shaking his head, “No, I’m alright… but I think I should go home now.”

Something was definitely wrong, and Jayce felt sick to his stomach.

“Of course.” He muttered, gently moving Viktor’s free arm, until it was wrapped around him as added support.

He wasn’t ready to lose him.

He hated seeing him like this, that fierce determination slowly dissolving. Yes, he enjoyed it when Viktor’s mask fell, especially when they first started courting, and Viktor almost couldn’t seem to believe that Jayce had chosen him.

How could Jayce have chosen anyone else?

The way Viktor swore in his native tongue when he was frustrated.

The soft smile he had reserved for purely Jayce.

…All gone.

The light seemed to have vanished from him completely.

He silently helped Viktor into their bed, waiting to see if he needed anything, before making a hasty exit, barely managing to shut the door before he was sliding down the wall to the floor. Placing his head in his hands, he started to cry.

…………………………………………………

Viktor heard the crying.

How could he not?

Taking a shaky breath, he tried to push himself up into a seated position, groaning when his muscles trembled in protest.

This wasn’t supposed to be happening yet.

They were meant to have longer together.

Knowing that he couldn’t just lie here and listen to his husband cry without attempting to held, he pulled all his willpower together, carefully swinging his legs over the side of the bed and attempting to stand.

He fought back the tears at the pain that he felt, he used his crutch on one side and leant heavily on the wall on his other side.

It took far too long for him to reach to door, opening it up to see Jayce curled up on the ground, face buried in his hands.

“Jayce…” He sighed, hissing in pain as he lowered himself down to his husband’s level, watching the other man stiffened at the noise, “… we both knew we had limited time together.”

“Is that meant to comfort me?” Jayce snapped, on the verge of losing control, “What am I meant to feel, what else am I meant to think now that I’m about to lose you?!”

Viktor wordlessly placed his crutch on the ground, reaching out to pull Jayce into his arms, rubbing the other’s back as soothingly as possible. “It’s okay.” He whispered, accent thickening with his own distress, knowing that his words were probably doing more harm than good.

False hope and all that.

He bit down the cough he felt rising, knowing that it would only make the situation worse.

After what seemed like hours, Jayce’s shaking eased, head moving back to rest against the wall, clearly exhausted, dried tear tracks still on his cheeks.

“Shit.” He muttered, looking over at Viktor, “You- we should get up and get you back to- “

“- I am fine for the moment.” Viktor sighed, looking over at the wall, before taking a deep breath.

He couldn’t believe he was going to say this.

“If you want… I can go and see a doctor tomorrow.” He gritted out, despite hating the very thought. He was dying, no Doctor would be able to do anything for him.

Well, there was one, but Viktor didn’t think it was a good idea to contact him right now.

“Really?” Jayce sounded so hopeful though, as though Viktor seeing a Doctor would magically solve everything. Viktor knew he had to break Jayce’s heart just a little here, taking his Alpha’s hand into his own.

“They probably won’t be able to do anything.” He stated firmly, “But… I will go and see them anyway.”

He felt Jayce’s arm wrap around his shoulders, pulling him close against his side.

“I’m scared.” Jayce whispered, “I don’t know how I’m going to do this without you.”

“You will manage.”

“No, I won’t Viktor!” Jayce snapped, “All this is because of you! Do you know how close I was to jumping that night you found me… one step and that would have been that and now you-you- “He shook his head, unable to get the words out.

“… You will have Councillor Medarda.” The other Alpha was stunning… despite society not being overly fond of Alpha/Alpha relationships, they would prefer her over Viktor as a mate for their Golden Boy.

“She’s not you! She will never be you!” Fresh tears started to make their way down Jayce’s cheeks, “I’m not ready to lose you, I’m not ready for you to go… I’m not ready to watch this happen and not be able to do anything about it.”

Viktor couldn’t find the words, mouth opening and closing for a few moments, until he sighed wearily, “Until that day comes… I will always be yours Jayce Talis.” Was all he could bring himself to say.

There was no point in mentioning that he had pointed out that this could be a possibility when they first got together.

It wouldn’t help.

“Come on.” He sighed, “Let us get back to bed.” He held up his hand before Jayce could apologise for ‘making’ him sit on the floor like this, “I think we both need sleep.”

“Yeah.” Jayce’s chuckle was weak, as he wiped the tears from his cheeks and helped Viktor up, leading him back to bed.

“Don’t treat me like I'm fragile.” Viktor whispered, as Jayce climbed into the bed behind him, clearly hesitating to hold Viktor like he usually did, “Please... don’t let go.”

“Never.”

Chapter Text

Viktor had instructed Jayce to wait outside the room whilst the doctor examined him. He didn’t need Jayce’s grief to be a subject public gossip. Better that he received the news when they were back home.

When the Doctor came back into the room, Viktor frowned at the look on the man’s face. It wasn’t quite the pity that he expected, but nor did it seem like it was good news.

“Mister Talis...” the Doctor began, before looking back down at his clipboard, not seeming to know how to say the next words, “... may I be the first to offer my congratulations.”

“... Congratulations?”

“It seems that you are... pregnant.”

Viktor felt like he was going to be sick.

Pregnant.

Of course, he’d always wanted to be able to give Jayce a child, but never thought it as possible, not with his health.

There was less than a 15% chance of it happening, and yet here he was, hearing those words.

Pregnant.

“It is not possible.” He whispered, one hand moving to his mid-section, “It just isn’t.”

“It shouldn’t be with your current health…” The Doctor’s words were blunt and unforgiving, “… but we’ve run several tests. You are most definitely pregnant. You had a heat recently, correct?”

He had, and that was a surprise in itself.

His heats weren’t regular like most other omega’s were, often hitting him when he least expected it. The last one was almost a month ago, and considering it ended after Jayce knotted him for the first time, he should have been slightly suspicious.

Pregnant.

“There are concerns however.” The Doctor sighed, “Your health is deteriorating rapidly. With the baby taking what it can, there is a chance that you’ll be unable to carry them to term… or it’ll kill you in the process.”

How was this worse than a certain death diagnosis?

How was he supposed to tell Jayce that he was pregnant, but the child would probably never come into the world… and if they did, he would surely lose Viktor.

“Thank you Doctor.” Viktor whispered.

“Do you want me to call Councillor Talis in to discuss options?”

“No…. Let’s keep this between us for the moment.” Biting back a cough, Viktor straightened up as best he could, “What can I do?”

…………………………………………………………………………………….

“So?” Jayce was on his feet the instant Viktor left the room, “What did they say?”

“A very bad case of flu.” Viktor hated that he was lying about this, but it would be kinder in the long run, “Plenty of rest, the right food… that’s all they can do.”

“And-and that’s it? Just the flu?”

Honestly, Viktor knew that even the flu could probably kill him at this point, but the relief in Jayce’s voice stopped him from commenting on that. “Just that.” He confirmed.

He ignored every instinct in his body that was begging him to let his alpha hold him, to let the alpha make him feel secure as they went through this together.

But he couldn’t.

Not when there was still a high risk the foetus wouldn’t make it.

He would ignore the aches and pains; he would hide the weird cravings and pass the morning sickness off as something else until he knew the chances of the baby surviving were higher.

…………………………………………………

The sun rose high above the buildings of Zaun, decorating the sky in shades of orange, pink, red and yellow.

Viktor didn’t know why he was down here.

He was sure he had fallen asleep with his husband, in their bed in Piltover.

He moved to take a step forward, only to hear giggling behind him. That was then followed by the feeling of someone tugging on his hand. Slowly, Viktor looked down to where the giggling was coming from.

Hazel eyes that looked oh-so-familiar stared back at him.

“Mama!”

He woke up with a sharp gasp, bolting up, only to groan as his muscles seized in protest.

“Viktor?”

He looked over at his husband, who was slowly pushing himself up, a look of concern on his face.

“Are you okay?”

“Y-Yes, it was- it was just an odd dream?”

“Not a bad one?”

Remembering the giggling and soft voice calling out Mama, Viktor slowly shook his head. “No… not a bad dream at all.”

………………………………………………………………

He’d been meaning to experiment with the Hexcore for a while now, in the hope that it would cure him, or at least ease the symptoms.

He couldn’t do that now.

Not when it put the foetus at risk.

Sighing, he slumped forwards against his desk, pressing his forehead against the cool wood, finding himself comforted by the sensation.

“Umm... Viktor?”

Slowly, he pushed himself back up to a seated position, looking over to see Sky nervously looking at him.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes... yes, I am well.” A small white lie wouldn’t do any harm, “Just.... tired. Very tired.”

“Do you want me to call Councillor Talis? I’m sure he wouldn’t mind- “

He shook his head desperately, “- He’s fighting for peace between Piltover and Zaun. That’s more important.”

“More important than you?”

“He can do something about the peace talks.... he can’t help me.”

There was a beat of silence, before he heard Sky sigh wearily, “That’s because you’re not letting him.”

He had no response to that.

“I’ll leave him a message for when he leaves the meeting.” Sky stated, “I think he would be all to happy to finish for the day.”

…..............................................................

“…And then Marcus came and made his report.” Jayce sighed as they slowly made their way to their rooms, “He keeps saying that Silco has taken over complete control of the Undercity… Zaun, and that he rules with an iron fist, killing anyone who stands in his way but from what you’ve said about Silco- “

“- Vander and Silco ran Zaun side by side, they always have.” Viktor sighed, remembering spending nights at The Last Drop, scribbling notes on a piece of paper. A small omega boy whose parents were far too busy to keep an eyes on him, his mind and disability driving the other children away in droves.

He remembered Silco seeing these notes and introducing him to Singed.

“He’s a good, if slightly morally ambiguous man.”

“Yeah, well the Council don’t want to hear that.” Jayce sighed, “Silco is a convenient villain for them to focus their attentions on.”

Viktor nodded wearily, wondering if he could get some sort of message to Silco before the Council did anything rash. Ekko might be willing to-

He sucked in a sharp intake of breath as his leg gave way beneath him going down some steps, falling forwards.

“Viktor!”

Jayce’s arms were quick to wrap around him, pulling him up until he was a little more upright, not seeming to notice how one of Viktor’s hands automatically moved to press against his stomach.

“Are you alright?”

“I think that’s my leg’s way of saying stop.” Viktor tried to joke, only for it to fall a little flat, hissing when he tried to continue walking and pain shot up and down his spine. He gritted his teeth when Jayce practically carried him the rest of the way, fumbling to open the door, before gently depositing him on the sofa

“Can I get you anything?” Jayce asked softly, “Some sweet milk maybe?”

“… Do we have any left?”

“I can get some if we don’t!”

Viktor was shaking his head before Jayce had even finished, “Forget it.” He sighed, “I think I just need a rest.” When he received no reply, he glanced over at Jayce, taking in the sight of his husband as the man stared blankly at the opposite wall.

Tall... muscular... strong, and yet gentle... successful.

He was the epitome of the perfect Alpha, and yet he’d chosen Viktor.

With any other omega, he would probably would have had at least four children by now.

Not the vague beginnings of one.

This child had to survive.

No matter what.

Chapter Text

Viktor had been sick again.

Just like he had every morning for the past few weeks and a bit, and Jayce felt like being sick along with him, though his was possibly more for psychological reasons, instead of physical.

“I’m not going back to the Doctors.” Viktor had snapped when Jayce brought up the subject, “There’s nothing else they can do.”

Jayce hated how true those words were.

As Viktor rolled over to vomit into the bucket Jayce had moved to his side of the bed for just such emergencies (as running to the bathroom wasn’t really possible for his husband), Jayce leant over and gently rubbed at his back.

Viktor mumbled something in his first language that Jayce didn’t quite catch, before slumping against him, head leaning back to rest on Jayce’s shoulder.

And then he was leaning forwards and throwing up again, making Jayce wince at the sound. ON the edges of the bucket, he could see traces of blood, making his heart pang in his chest.

When Viktor finally seemed to finish, resting on his side utterly exhausted from the strain, Jayce rushed to the kitchen to grab a glass of water and a cold cloth.

Viktor only managed a few sips, before he started to feel ill again. His stomach hurt from the retching, his chest ached, and his throat was red raw. One hand moved over his stomach, silently hoping that this would all be worth it.

…………………………………………………………………………………………..

“I’m not overly happy with your weight.” The Doctor confessed, “And you’re still having problems with fatigue?”

“I’ve always had problems with fatigue.” Viktor sighed.

“It’s worrying.”

Viktor shrugged, wincing as the movement pulled at the muscles in his back.

He’d had another dream last night; again, about a toddler calling him Mama and walking beside him.

“Any spotting?”

“Some.” Nothing that was of any concern and was easily hidden from Jayce.

“Urination.”

“Frequent, unfortunately.” Getting to the bathroom with speed, was tricky.

There was a moment of silence, before the Doctor was placing the clipboard on the counter. “I… really think we should be informing Councillor Talis about this.”

“Oh?”

If the Doctor heard the warning in Viktor’s voice, he didn’t react to it.

“Pregnancies tend to be easier with the Alpha’s presence, we’ve found that numerous times and- “

“- there is a chance this baby will not survive with or without Jayce.” Viktor couldn’t hold it back any longer, grip tightening around his crutch, “I will not put him through that pain.”

“But… there is a chance the baby will live.”

“And when we reach that point, I will tell him.”

The Doctor opened his mouth to argue, only to stop at the look on Viktor’s face.

“Alright.” He acquiesced, “But let us make sure that you and the baby get to that point.”

……………………………………………………………………………………….

“Are you sure about this?”

Silco looked away from the sea creatures that lazily swam past his window, looking over at his husband, who had his arms crossed over his chest.

“Singed and I started the production of medicinal Shimmer to help those who were injured and sick… someone has perverted that aim to create thugs who only cause more trouble.” Silco shook his head, “I despise the idea of making peace with Piltover as much as you, but the Man of Progress has suggested that Zaun would be made independent, and therefore get a seat on the Council.”

Vander scoffed, “And you believe that?”

“It’s that, or we start off a civil war down here, possibly destroying Zaun in the process.” Silco shrugged, “I’m hoping that Viktor’s Alpha is a man of his word.”

“You heard from Singed about him?”

“Hm, a concerned letter… as concerned as Singed can get anyway.”

“Concerned?”

“Viktor isn’t well but hasn’t mentioned anything more than that.” Silco shook his head, “All he truly went into detail about, was his Alpha’s desire to make peace.” He turned to the Alpha, “We need to open negotiations.”

Vander simply stared at him for a moment before sighing, “At least let me get out people on board first.” He grunted, “There’s a lot of anti-Piltover sentiments that could ruin everything. Think about the boys… Ekko… Vi seems to have had a change of heart recently, but Powder has been struggling recently.”

That was true.

There were only so many empty buildings that they could permit her to explode before she got antsy.

“I’ll keep an eye on her.” Silco sighed, “It’ll be all too easy for them to pin the recent attacks on her.”

“… You’re sure you want to do this?”

“I can’t see any other chance for peace without resorting to war.”

………………………………………………………………….

He’s sleeping a lot less now.

With Jayce determined to being about peace between Zaun and Piltover (as though filling Viktor’s final wishes), he was home less.

Viktor wanted to believe that that was the reason he was sleeping less, but the constant worry of the human growing inside of him was probably the real reason.

That and the pressure against his bladder.

“Viktor?” Jayce sidled over, “You’re practically asleep here.”

Viktor blinked. He didn’t think he’d been dozing, but-

“Why don’t you have a rest on the sofa? I can finish these calculations before my council meeting.”

“I’m not three.” Viktor snapped, “I don’t need a nap.”

Jayce held up his hands, “I’m just trying to help.”

Rubbing a hand over his forehead, eyes stinging from the lack of sleep, Viktor sighed guiltily, “I know. Maybe-maybe I can have a light doze.”

“I’ll get some blankets! It’s a bit chilly in here!”

It was actually quite warm, but Viktor let Jayce rush around, knowing that his Alpha needed this to make himself feel better.

“I’m… going to ask Silco to meet with me soon.” Jayce whispered, “Within the next few months whilst I work on the Council.” He helped Viktor get settled on the sofa, leaning over to press a quick kiss to his cheek as Viktor’s eyes fluttered close, “We’ll have our peace soon, and then all those ideas you have… we can finally put them into action.”

“Hmmm.”

“I love you.”

“… I love you too.”

He might never see those dreams come into play… but he loved and trusted Jayce.

Zaun would be fine without.

Chapter Text

“Hey! Have you put on a little weight?!”

Viktor tried not to roll his eyes. Were he anyone else, he would probably take some offence at that. As it stood though, he knew that his weight was always a cause of concern for Jayce.

He still hadn’t told him.

“Your mother’s cooking probably has something to do with that.”

There was a pause, before Jayce came coming over and placing a gentle kiss to the top of Viktor’s head, “You smell better as well. Sweeter almost.”

It was about time Jayce noticed the effect the pregnancy had on his scent.

He still wasn’t going to tell him.

Not yet.

He just hummed in response, watching as Jayce moved away and continued working on what he was going to say to Silco at their meeting.

They were so close now.

Silco had agreed to the meeting and now all that had to be worked out were the fine details. Their child would be born into a world where Zaun was independent, and the cities were working towards equality.

The thought brought a small smile to Viktor’s face.

………………………………………………..

The smile didn’t last very long.

It was a day before the proposed meeting between Jayce and Silco, and Viktor felt terrible. He’d almost collapsed in the lab, and judging by the Doctor’s concerned look, it wasn’t entirely due to the pregnancy.

Jayce still didn’t know about that.

The first thing he awoke to amidst the burning heat of his fever, was the intent gaze of Jayce sitting by his hospital bed.

“Jayce?” His sluggish body reached out a hand to touch the tanned cheek, confirming that Jayce was actually there, frowning when Jayce looked away from him.

“You were burning up.” Jayce whispered, “The Doctors were worried.”

“… How much time do I have?”

Jayce barely held the sob back, “No long enough for my liking.” He confessed, “I’m going to see if Silco can help tomorrow.”

“Jayce?”

“He must know something about this.” Jayce whispered, “They said it’s because of where you lived as a children. It’s an illness that originated in Zaun… Silco must know a way to help.”

It was a good plan.

Silco would probably go to Singed.

Singed would know what to do.

“Hmm.” Viktor didn’t protest, looking over and seeing the two mugs sitting on the bedside table, slight steam coming out of them still.

“Sky made us some hot chocolate.” Jayce followed his gaze, “Apparently it’s both good for your health, and makes you feel better emotionally… or something like that.” He picked up the mugs, blowing on them both, before moving to hand one over to Viktor, only to pause.

“Can you- do you- “

“- Help me sit up a little first.” Viktor whispered, “I assume mine is the one with all the whipped cream on it?”

“Sky knows all about your sweet tooth.” Jayce chuckled, helping him up a little, before handing him the mug, “Drink up. I’m going to check with the Doctor’s about something.”

Viktor froze.

Did… Jayce suspect something?

Did something happen when he collapsed?

Almost unconsciously, his hand moved over his stomach, wondering if that tiny fluttering of life was still there.

He needed to see the Doctor.

…...................................................................

“The baby is healthy.” The Doctor assured him, when Jayce was out of the room, “Despite everything, but your health is declining rapidly, far too quickly for me to be comfortable.”

“So… what are my options?”

“I’ve laid out the options before. I just need to know if you’ve changed your mind at all…. You may die from your illness before the baby can even be born!”

“How soon can you remove them, and they’ll survive?”

The Doctor was clearly taken aback by the question, “I- A full-term pregnancy lasts between 37 and 42 weeks. If born between 24 and 30 weeks, there is some chance of survival. However, ninety-eight per cent of babies born at even 30 weeks will survive.”

“… I’m not even 20 weeks at the moment, correct?”

“Correct.”

He had at least ten weeks left before it would be safe for this child to be removed.

A little over two months.

He wasn’t sure his body could take that strain, but he wouldn’t let it give up without a fight.

……………………………………………………………………………………

Leaving Viktor sleeping in bed, haunted by the words the doctors had said to him, Jayce headed to where he’d arranged to meet Silco, watching the sun rise on the horizon.

Patiently waiting, his thoughts turned to the future.

With a peace treaty, what they actually set out to do with Hextech could finally be started, the Council be damned. Transport, trade, medicine…. Medicine for Viktor.

Jayce knew that the Council wanted him to ask for whoever was behind the explosions near the bridge to be brought to justice, in return for Zaun independence. He, however, had a different idea in mind.

“There seems to be something on your mind Councillor.”

Jayce would deny to the end of his days that he jumped, no matter what the smirk on Silco’s face suggested.

“There’s a lot on my mind.” He admitted, straightening up, “I want peace… and I know that’s what you want as well.”

“I want Zaun to be an independent city. Not some scumhole that Piltover dumps its trash into.”

“… I know, and-and I agree that that’s what should be done.”

Silco examined him for a moment, that eery, orange eye seeming to see right through him. It was then that he saw the figure right near the Zaun boundary line.

Even from here, Jayce knew that there was no chance of him beating the man in a fair fight.

“Ah.” Silco noticed his gaze, “Vander… he does worry. Unnecessarily, I might add.”

Jayce believed that. If there was something that he knew for certain, is that omegas born and raised in Zaun, were very different from those raised in Piltover.

“You want something, I sense.” Silco continued, “In return for our independence.”

Jayce noticed the omega’s fists clench, “I do…” He whispered, “… But it’s probably not what you think?”

“Then what is it?”

“My omega, Viktor, he-he’s ill.” Jayce fought to keep his voice steady, “The Doctor’s said that it’s because of the air in Zaun and the water and-and I promise that these are problems that we’re going to fix, but- “

“- But you want to help Viktor first.” Silco’s voice was gentler now, “I know of the illness that you’re speaking, and I know of the toll it must be taking on Viktor’s body.”

“He said that-that you know him.”

“Hm, he would spend hours at The Last Drop working on his little boats and calculations.” Silco chuckled, “Vander and I were the ones who introduced him to Singed, who took him under his wings. He was the one who pushed Viktor to join the Academy.” He examined Jayce for a moment, before nodding, “I will speak to Singed. He will find a way to help.”

It was like an entire weight had been lifted from his chest, as Jayce sighed in relief. “Thank you.” he whispered, “Thank you, thank you, thank you. I’ll-I'll speak to the Council... Zaun will be independent, I promise.”

“Somehow, I believe you.” Silco stated, “I can’t believe I'm saying this... but I do believe you.”

Chapter Text

The Council room was buzzing with activity.

Viktor had never seen the usually serene Council members looking so harassed. If he had known that it was going to be like that, he wouldn’t have let Jayce steer him away from the laboratory and towards this meeting. No matter how his Alpha looked at him, with those big pleading eyes and that pout.

As it was though, he was here, leaning heavily against his crutch even when he was sat down, hoping that no-one else would smell how his scent had changed or how there was a slight swell to his stomach. Deep down he knew that they wouldn’t notice.

They didn’t even notice him when he was stood side by side with Jayce.

How many remembered their bonding ceremony?

Did they even remember that a bonding ceremony had been held, simple as it had been?

No… the knowledge that their precious Man of Progress was taken had probably been driven from their minds, so that they could continue to believe that he could be pimped out to any investor looking to settle down in Piltover.

The thought made his grip on his crutch tighten barely paying attention to what Jayce was saying.

It wasn’t until the Alpha turned to look at him, that Viktor tuned back into the conversation.

“…agreed to my treaty terms. Zaun will be independent.”

There was complete and instant chaos as many members of the Council leapt to their feet, all crying out in outrage. There had been rumours that this was going to happen, yes, but none of them actually believed it.

Jayce wasn’t paying attention to any of that though, eyes still on Viktor, a proud but hopeful smile on his face.

“You… did it.” Viktor whispered, resisting the urge to place a hand on his midsection with all these people around, “You actually did it.”

“I did say I would.” Jayce whispered back. Whatever else he was going to say though, was cut off as one of the Council members addressed him personally.

“Mister Talis, I hope that one of the conditions of this so-called ‘peace treaty’, is the apprehension and arrest of the one called Powder!”

“Why should it have been?”

There was a moment of indignant spluttering, before another Council member spoke up, “There has been a series of bombings near the bridge, and the Enforcers say- “

“- That the one they call Powder, or Jinx is responsible for them.” Jayce finished, a slight edge to his voice, “This is something that was discussed a few weeks ago when we found an intact, undetonated bomb. And, as I mentioned last time, Professor Heimerdinger and I are certain that the bombs from the bridge, were actually constructed in Piltover, with a crude attempt to make them look like someone from Zaun had made them. I agreed to let Marcus investigate who was making them.”

“Marcus is not here to report on that.” Mel smoothly interrupted, “However, I trust the judgement of Professor Heimerdinger and Councillor Talis.”

Viktor glanced over at her, catching her eyes as she gave him a little nod of acknowledgment. It was nice having her on their side, despite the tension that may have existed between them before his and Jayce’s bonding ceremony.

The other Council members started to protest once again, as Viktor let their words wash over, focusing on that tiny fluttering of life inside him.

‘You will grow up in peace’ He thought to himself, partially wondering if his child could hear him, ‘No fighting. No classism… peace.’

So lost in his thoughts, he never saw the missile heading straight for the Council-room.

…………………………………………………………..

“Dad! Dad!”

Silco didn’t jump as Powder burst into the room, so used to the brash actions.

“There was an explosion!”

“I hope you kept it to the demolition zones, like I told you?”

“No, not from me! In Piltover!”

Silco looked up at that, frowning at the news.

“An explosion in Piltover?”

Vander appeared behind their youngest child, a worried look on his face. “A missile launched at the Council Room. It’s chaos Silco, absolute chaos.”

“… They would have been talking about Zaun independence.”

“Maybe it wasn’t being used?”

“I don’t think we’ll be that lucky.” Silco pushed himself to his feet, “Get Singed.”

“Why?”

“Because I have a horrible feeling about this entire situation, and I feel like we’ll need him.”

………………………………………………………

Piltover was buzzing with activity, a mass of doctors and emergency services all rushing to help in the chaos.

“You have to get back in there!” Jayce snapped, pulling his arm away from a well-meaning nurse, “My husband’s in there!”

“The emergency services are searching for any bodies- “

“- He’s not dead!”

“- and survivors.” The nurse finished, “They will find him, I promise.”

She tugged on him awake, silently prompting him to take a seat as she continued to care for his injuries.

Jayce’s eyes never left the destroyed Council room.

……………………………………………………

Several members of the Council were either dead or severely injured.

Mel Medarda was simply exhausted. It had been year since she’s used her magic, and she was ready to collapse.

But she couldn’t.

Not when Jayce was just sat there, staring at the rubble, shaking slightly.

He was shaking and he was more pale than Mel had ever seen… part of her wanted to tease him about switching places with his husband.

But that would be cruel at this moment.

The man was hunched in on himself, very small, as though if he curled up enough, he would vanish from the world.

He looked like he wanted to.

He looked like a lost child.

He looked broken.

They hadn’t found Viktor’s body. The emergency services believed that the man was probably crushed underneath the rubble with no chance of survival.

Jayce hadn’t moved since they gave him the news.

Professor Heimerdinger had attempted to speak to him, but with him sounding just as distressed by Viktor’s death, Jayce only seemed to shut off further.

Mel approached him carefully. She had no doubts that Jayce knew she was there, but his eyes never left the rubble and destruction, fingers almost turning white with how hard they were gripping at his legs. He had dust and bits of stone in his hair, black soot on his face from the fires and his eyes were empty.

Broken.

…………………………………………………………..

Mel was talking to him.

He could hear it, but it was like he was listening through someone else’s ears.

He’d failed.

He’d promised in his vows to keep Viktor safe, and he’d failed.

He’d failed.

Chapter Text

“What do you mean you can’t find him?!”

This was the loudest Jayce had spoken since the explosion, the words reverberating off of the stone walls, as the Enforcer shrank back a little.

“W-we searched everywhere.” The man stuttered, “A-all the rubble and d-debris has been moved and there is no sign of him anywhere… Sir.”

“… How?”

The poor man obviously had no answer for that. Wearily, Mel dismissed him, turning to Jayce who was staring at the door, “I’ll have them search again.” She whispered, “The room is falling apart, maybe they decided to leave before it could collapse further and- “

“- He’s still gone though, isn’t he?”

She felt her heart sink to her stomach at the tone, hearing the lack of any emotion in it, as Jayce seemed to completely shut down.

“It’s… probable.” She carefully stated, watching Jayce’s head bow for a moment, before he slowly got to his feet, looking up at the ceiling, taking a deep breath and nodded.

“I need a moment.” He whispered, “If you’ll excuse me?”

She couldn’t say anything, merely watching as he walked away from the destruction, back straight and fists clenched, clearly trying not to fall apart.

It was hard to watch.

Turning back to the workers, she gave the command for them to keep going.

………………………………………………………………………..

Another week passed, and there was still no sign of Viktor.

“Jayce…” She kept her voice gentle, “… we need to- we need to think about holding a memorial service for those we lost.”

“… Including Viktor.”

She stayed silent, letting him draw his own conclusions as his breathing started to get shaky again, head lowering into his hands as he tried to calm down.

“I don’t know if I can do this.” He whispered, “I don’t think I can say goodbye. Not-not without knowing for certain!”

“Jayce… even if he did survive the initial explosion, it’s been well over a week now. He couldn’t have survived for that long.”

She hated to break his heart like this, but it needed to be done.

“Caitlyn has been in charge of the investigation into the explosion.” She changed the subject, “It seemed to come from the Undercity.”

That seemed to knock him out of it, looking up with a confused expression.

“That doesn’t make any sense. We were moments away from giving them the independence that they wanted, why launch an attack like that.”

“Maybe-maybe they simply wanted to have all the Council members in one place and- “ She paused when Jayce started to shake his head.

“They had no way of knowing when we’d all be meeting…. No, this is another attempt to make it seem like Zaun is behind it all.” He shot to his feet, “Where’s Caitlyn… and Marcus come to think of it?”

“Both should be at the Enforcer Headquarters, but- “

“- I need to speak to them.” Jayce was already leaving for the door, “I need to examine anything that’s left of the missile.”

…………………………………………………………..

Much like the bombs, Jayce and Heimerdinger concluded that the missile was of a similar make, in that it was a crude attempt to make it look Zaun-made.

But that was as far as they got.

No matter who they questioned.

No matter who they spoke to.

The trail went cold.

“Jayce, we have to hold a memorial at some point.” Mel stated, “For… everyone who died during the attack.”

“Including Viktor.”

“Yes… Including Viktor.”

………………………………………………………….

This was the hardest thing that Jayce had ever had to do.

“We are gathered here today to celebrate the lives of those lost in the recent tragedy, and to mourn their passing.”

Mel slowly went through the list, glancing over at Jayce when she reached the final name.

“.. and Viktor Talis.”

Jayce fought himself to remain stoic, even when he wanted to do nothing but cry. He wanted to offer comfort to Caitlyn, who had lost her mother in the attack… but couldn’t bring himself to do it.

He bowed his head, hoping that no-one could see the redness of his eyes.

He didn’t look up until Sky nudged him in the side, tears streaming down her own cheeks. “The eulogy for Viktor.” she whispered, gesturing to the front of the hall, where Mel was patiently waiting.

Jayce didn’t know if he could do this.

Still, he got up and made his way to the front, eyes landing on the photo he’d provided for the memorial.

It was a candid shot.

He could have chosen their bonding day photo, with Viktor dressed in the suit of white and gold, a light flush on his cheeks as Jayce practically clung to him for the entire day, flashing his ring to everyone who was present.

No, this photo was one Jayce had tried to take sneakily, when Viktor was lost in thought during one of their brainstorms. He hadn’t gotten away with it though, as Viktor noticed him moving out of the corner of his eyes, turning to give him an unimpressed look just as the picture was taken.

“When I first met Viktor,” He began, eyes not leaving the photo, “I never imagined the paths that our lives would take… that we would end up as more than partners.”

He took a deep breath and pressed on.

He talked about how they turned from partners to friends, from friends to lovers and finally their marriage. He described that bonding day as one of his happiest days; he talked about how Viktor made him a better person, the omega never being afraid to tell him just when he was being stupid and an Alpha dickhead.

“I don’t want to talk about the end of his life…. That’s not how he’d want to be remembered. Today is the day to remember him as the brilliant man that he was.” He wiped away the tears that were streaming down his cheeks, “I already miss you Viktor, and I hope that wherever you are, you’re happy…. I love you.”

And then his world went dark as he fell to his knees, hot tears staining his eyes.

It was over.

His life was all over.

Chapter Text

It started small.

A dull look, a small frown there.

Nothing that Mel worried about too much.

Then it got worse.

A cold tone and sharp words. Nothing too surprising considering they were usually discussing the attack on the Council, the memories still fresh despite the time that had passed since the event.

It was nothing Mel couldn’t brush to one side.

They had work to do if they wanted to find whoever had been responsible. Zaun’s Independence had been pushed to the back of everyone’s minds, and it seemed like Silco was willing to give them the time that they needed.

Activity from Zaun had stopped completely, and there was no sign of anyone coming up to complain against the lack of an official announcement of independence.

It was the break that they needed.

It gave Mel the time to examine Jayce more closely.

Sitting there with dull eyes, Jayce listened. He simply sat there, not speaking unless spoken to, waiting for the meeting to end and then leaving in silence.

Mel knew that Alpha’s suffered when their bonds were broken, but she was embarrassed to say that it took her far too long, before she did anything about it.

By that time, any fire that had been in Jayce’s eyes, was long gone.

The person she once knew, was gone.

……………………………………

Sky was the first to try and help.

She always made sure that she brought food to make sure that he was eating properly; telling him short little stories about Viktor in the hope he would open up to her just a little. She tried to assure him that everything would be alright, only to get a monotone response in return.

“It won’t… it won’t ever be okay again.”

It was Caitlyn’s turn to try, as his oldest friend. She looked through old blueprints, pointing out that they could easily be adjusted to continue on with Viktor’s dream of helping Zaun… from what she understood anyway.

“I’m going to burn them.” Jayce had snapped, “Leave them alone.”

Next was Heimerdinger, who insisted that a little bit of elderly advice would surely do the trick. He kept his voice upbeat, nattering eagerly about what he’d been up to in his own research, before promising that he was always there to listen if Jayce needed.

“I’m fine.” Had been the only response.

Mel thought she was prepared for any possible response to her attempts at comfort. She found him silently staring at a picture of Viktor, one finger lightly stroking the frame. His eyes were dark and lifeless, bags under them indicating that he hadn’t slept in quite some time.

There was no point in asking what was wrong.

Everyone knew what was wrong.

Everyone so was used to happy, kind Jayce, that dealing with this grief-stricken version was proving more difficult than they believed.

The old Jayce was dead, and Mel wasn’t sure they would ever get him back

……………………………………………………

His footsteps seemed deafening as he walked down the practically abandoned corridor, eyes on his feet.

Jayce wasn’t sure where his feet were leading him, but he didn’t particularly care. It could have been leading him to his certain death, and he wouldn’t have cared.

He’d bumped into the doctor when he decided to leave the lab for the day.

The man had been apologetic, almost nervous as he asked Jayce if they could speak somewhere in private.

Jayce wished he’d said no, he wished that he’d turned away and remained ignorant to the end of his days.

Viktor had been pregnant.

Viktor had been carrying his child.

And now they were both gone.

Chapter Text

Jayce shivered as another gust of cold wind blew against him, wrapping his coat a little firmer around himself as he headed towards the border that separated Piltover and Zaun. As always, he stopped right on the edge of the border, never venturing any further as he stared into the other city.

It had been four years since the Council room explosion.

The investigation had stalled long ago, due to the trail going cold and the top Enforcers closing ranks around the main man under suspicion.

Marcus.

It was frustrating, and heart-breaking and every negative word that Jayce could think about.

It had been four years since he’d lost his husband and Jayce wasn’t sure he’d ever been happy since it had happened.

Staring out into the night, he watched snow start to fall. It was always so pretty… Viktor had loved snow, even when it did nothing but give him grief, the cold making his leg tense up painfully. Maybe he just liked it because it meant that they could snuggle up under a blanket on the sofa, cupping warm sweet milk in their hands.

Not that they ever needed an excuse to do that.

Lost in his memories, he nearly missed the soft sobbing coming from a little further ahead. He hesitated where he was for a moment, before taking that first step over the unseen boundary line, and moving closer to the sound, leaving footprints behind him.

He spotted the small bundle up ahead, believing it to be trash, only to see that it was shivering.

“Fuck.” He muttered, creeping a little closer, careful not to make any sudden movement that might scare the bundle away. Kneeling beside it, he gently reached out and gave the tiny form a little shake.

“Ah!”

Quickly, he held his hands up, silently indicating that he wasn’t a threat. He couldn’t really see the child’s face, hidden by a tattered hood and a large scarf, but he could instantly tell that this child couldn’t even be old enough to go to school yet.

“It’s okay.” He whispered, “I’m here to help.”

Big eyes peered out at him, the gold glint in them making Jayce’s heart pang a little.

“How did you get all the way out here?”

The child whispered something.

“Pardon?”

“Bad man.” The child’s English wasn’t brilliant, but that was either due to his age or the very thick accent behind them, “Bad man.”

“A… bad man brought you here?”

Nod.

“He… left you here?”

“I hit him with cane.”

It was then that Jayce saw said cane lying in the snow beside him.

“You hit him… and he dropped you?”

Nod.

Jayce looked around, seeing that there was no-one else in sight. “Do you come from lower Zaun? Near the docks?” The child’s accent was very similar to… to Viktor’s after all, and he remembered his omega telling him the stories of his home once upon a time. If he had a vague idea of where the child came from, he could get him home with very few issues.

These hopes died when the child shook his head.

“Okay… do you know your parent’s names?”

“Mama.”

“…. No Papa?”

“No.”

Again… not overly uncommon in Zaun from what he remembered Viktor telling him, due to the disease that often plagued the streets.

“Okay.” He was about to probe a little further, see if the toddler knew the names of any of his Mama’s friends, only for the snowfall to increase and a bitter wind to rush over them, the child’s shivering increasing.

“Come on.” Jayce whispered, keeping his voice soft, “Why don’t we get you somewhere warm and then we can find your Mama, okay?”

Slowly, the toddler nodded, grabbing his cane, only tensing a little when Jayce lifted him into his arms and started to head back into Piltover. Silently, Jayce noticed that the child’s left leg ended just below the knee, feeling a pang in his heart as he cleared his throat.

“My name is Jayce by the way, what’s your name?”

“… Miro.”

“Well, it’s very nice to meet you Miro.”

…........................................................

“And he was just… there?” Councillor Merderda mused, watching the still-heavily wrapped up child playing with a few soft toys that they’d been able to find, Sky giving him a plate with a sandwich on it.

“Yeah… like he’d been dropped.” Jayce shook his head, “He mentioned a ‘bad man.’ “

“Descriptive.”

“I know, but without knowing the names of his family or friends, or where he came from, that might be the only lead that we have.”

“Agreed.” She glanced over, seeing that Sky was trying to persuade the child to start removing the heavy layers, “Miro… the name sounds familiar.”

“It’s an old Zaunite word.” Sky whispered, “Peace.”

The child looked up at the words, watching as Sky gave him an encouraging smile and gestured for him to remove his outer garments again.

Slowly, the child pulled down the hood, black hair that seemed to go in every direction now on show. Those golden eyes were more prominent now, but now that Jayce could see that his skin tone was a shade or two darker than Viktor’s, the pang in his heart lessened slightly.

At least, until he pulled his scarf down.

He looked away, the image of that little mole where one of Viktor’s used to be threatening to overwhelm him, and he wasn’t about to cry in front of a child.

“Oh.” He vaguely heard Sky whispered, before she was gently encouraging the toddler to wash his hands, before eating his sandwich, the boy eagerly ripping the food apart and shoving it into his mouth.

“We need to find his family.” Mel had an odd tone to her voice, prompting Jayce to glance at her in confusion, seeing the contemplative look there, “And soon.”

………………………………………………………………………………..

“What do you mean he’s gone?!”

“We were just playing outside! I turned around and… gone!”

“THEN GO OUT THERE AND FIND HIM!”

Chapter Text

As Sky wiped at Miro’s face, trying to remove some of the grease and grime that was gathered there, she gently probed about his Mama’s friends and family.

The results weren’t helpful.

There was Unc’ Sil, Unc’ Van, Smiley cousin, Big Cousin, Skinny Cousin, Strong Cousin and Grandpa. Nothing that they would be able to use.

“Maybe we should do this another way.” Mel sighed, when it became clear that they weren’t getting anywhere with this line of questioning, “I’ve sent the case over to only the most trusted Enforcers, in the hope that they will be able to find out something more.”

Of course, by the trusted Enforcers, she meant Caitlyn and one or two under her command. The others were all too closely linked to Marcus for them to even remotely be considered trustworthy.

“I’m hoping that the camera footage on the bridge should help to shed some light on all this.”

There was something odd in Mel’s voice, that Jayce couldn’t help but pick up on, but he chose not to comment on him. When she was ready, she would tell him.

“Why don’t you send a little time with him?” Mel then stated, “Take him into your lab, show him some of the things you’re working on.”

“… He’s barely four.”

“And?” She raised an eyebrow at him, “I think he might understand more than you think.”

Seeing that she was not about to be dissuaded, Jayce sighed and nodded.

“Fine.”

……………………………………………………..

Jayce watched as Miro looked around in amazement, the sound of the cane tapping against the floor echoing off the walls. Jayce felt a little sick at hearing that sound again but forced himself to smile.

“So, anything you want to see first?”

He watched as the toddler limped around the room, taking in everything but not touching. Was it possible he’d grown up in a lab environment where he’d learnt the no-touching rule?

He then watched as Miro made his way over to Viktor’s desk, placing his cane on the chair, before trying to climb onto it, his good leg kicking out a little as he struggled to gain enough purchase and lever himself onto it. Jayce hung back for a moment, not sure how independent the child wanted to be, watching with no small amount of worry.

Eventually, Miro managed it, the chair spinning a little as he caught his balance, peering over the arms of the chair, peering at Jayce mischievously.

“What?”

Miro moved a little so that the chair twisted from side to side. Jayce quickly caught on.

“You want me to spin you on the chair?”

Nod.

“… Does your Mama let you do that?”

Slower nod.

“Lies.” Jayce chuckled, “At least make it sort of believable.”

Miro huffed, before turning his attention back to the desk, eyeing the complex drawings and equations for a moment (Jayce didn’t have the heart to burn them after all) , before his eyes landed on a picture in a silver frame.

Their bonding picture.

“That’s… that was my husband.” Jayce softly explained, as Miro leaned in a little closer, “On our bonding day.”

Miro reached out, brushing his fingers against the frame, eyes furrowed in confusion.

“I have a lot of photos of him… would you like to see some more?”

Another slow nod.

Going to grab the photo album, Jayce completely missed the soft voice speaking up behind him.

“Mama?”

…………………………………………….

Jayce was in the middle of telling Miro the story of how they created Hextech, when the door to the lab slammed open and Caitlyn rushed inside.

“We found something!” She exclaimed, as Miro squeaked in fright and tucked himself in against Jayce’s side.

“Bad.” Miro whimpered, “Bad.”

“Cait’s not bad.” Jayce tried to reassure him, “Why do you think Cait’s bad?”

Miro made a vague gesture towards his head.

“The… hat?”

Nod.

It took Jayce a moment to clock on, eyes widening, “The bad man… wore a hat like that?”

Another nod.

He looked over at Caitlyn, who was starting to look a little antsy.

“Right... well, why don’t you keep looking through those photos, gently! Caitlyn and I will be just over there, okay?”

Miro nodded, still not taking his eyes off of Cait as the pair headed towards the corner of the room.

“Cait?”

“I figured it out.” She whispered, “I figured it all out.”

“... Pardon?”

“I know how Viktor disappeared that day.”

Jayce had to pull a nearby chair towards him quickly, else his knees gave out, “Y-You what?”

“I got the idea to check the cameras on the bridge, to see if we could see wo dropped the kid there... but there was nothing.”

“You couldn’t see whoever it was?”

“No... the bridge looked empty, even during the time you said that you arrived and found him.”

“But that means- some sort of camera loop?”

“A very advanced one.” Caitlyn whispered, “They clearly thought the child wouldn’t be found until morning, when he’d be long dead. Or he’d be found by someone from Zaun first.”

Jayce nodded slowly, as Cait continued.

“So, it got me thinking…. What if that same technique has been used before? Say… the night of the explosion?”

That immediately got Jayce’s attention.

“I had a re-look at the camera footage from near about around the Council room after the explosion. For a long part of it, it’s exactly how you would expect, however after two days, I found something interesting.”

“What?”

“Marcus enters the room late at night, when there were less people trying to clear up the rubble…” Cait explains, “… He comes back out nearly two hours later.”

Jayce felt like he was going to explode, “And?”

“… And he was carrying Viktor.”

Shooting to his feet, Jayce started to pace the room, fingers twisting in his hair as he tried to keep his temper at bay.

“Then what?” His voice came out as barely a whisper, “What happened next?”

“He-he took Viktor to the tower.”

‘Am I interrupting?’

Jayce felt sick.

“We’re still working on getting the audio, but- “Cait moved closer, placing a hand on his shoulder, “- But we have enough evidence to try him for-for murder.”

Jayce didn’t need to hear any more.

He’d gone up to that tower for one purpose, which Viktor had saved him from all those years ago.

And he couldn’t even do the same.

“I want him arrested.” He hissed, tears already building in his eyes, “I-I-I- “

“- I’ve already sent the evidence through to Councillor Medarda.” Cait whispered, “It’s over Jayce…. we’ve got him.”

Chapter Text

Marcus was nowhere to be found.

Cait had several of her trusted enforcers on the case, but clearly Marcus had gotten wind of someone checking the camera footage and had decided to make a run for it.

His loyal lieutenants weren’t speaking either.

Against everyone’s advice, he’d watched the footage of Marcus removing Viktor from the destroyed council-room, his omega weakly trying to free himself all the way to the tower before- before-

Jayce fought not to be sick at the memory, heading back to his rooms.

It was then that he heard the tapping of the cane.

“You got free of Sky then?” He turned, smiling softly at the toddler, who was making his way slowly to him, “Shouldn’t you be going to bed soon?”

Miro caught up with him, one tiny hand reaching out in the universal signal for ‘up.’

“I don’t think I have a spare bed for you.”

The gesture continued.

“…I guess I can sleep on the sofa tonight.” He leant over and lifted the toddler into his arms, “At least Sky managed to find you something to sleep in.”

The clothes were clearly more suited to a five or six year old, but it would have to do.

He headed to his apartment, ignoring the curious glances and more than one omega cooing at the sight.

He hoped this wouldn’t encourage them. After the berating that he gave to the last one, for attempting to get close to him not long after the memorial, he’d had to do nothing but suffer their gazes from afar.

Him leading a child around would probably re-start the courting attempts.

Finally, he entered his apartment, watching as Miro rushed inside, as though he’d been living there for years, peeking in all the rooms until he came across the master bedroom.

“Come on.” Jayce sighed, lifting the child onto the bed, tucking him in gently, “Um… do you want a story or- “

Miro was already looking over at the bedside table, little hands reaching out for the silver music box sitting there. It was a fairly simple design, silver and circular, but it was honestly one of Jayce’s most treasured objects.

“Pretty isn’t it.” He murmured, “I made that when I found out my husband was…had been pregnant.” He bit at the inside of his cheek, watching Miro’s gentle touch as the toddler lifted it into his hands, cradling it gently.

“It plays a lullaby.” Jayce further explained, “One that my mother used to sing to me.” He reached over, opening up the lid of it to reveal two male figures dancing in the centre, twirling on the spot as a high-pitched tune started to play, prompting Jayce to hum along with it, the soft words automatically making their way out.

“¿Cómo dura para siempre un momento?
¿Cómo puede una historia no morir nunca?
Es al amor a lo que nos debemos aferrar,
nunca es fácil, pero lo intentamos.
A veces nuestra felicidad es capturada,
de alguna manera,
nuestro tiempo y lugar permanecen inmóviles.
El amor continua viviendo dentro de nuestros corazones,
y siempre lo hará.”

As the music trailed off, and it was clear that Miro was asleep, Jayce gentle ran his fingers through the messy black hair, taking the music box and placing it back on the table, before leaving the room.

He needed a drink.

……………………………………………………………..

“You need to sleep.”

“Not until I find him.”

“I have everyone out looking for him, now please- “

“- Everywhere.”

“If he’s in Zaun, we’ll find him.”

“…If he’s in Zaun.”

“…”

…………………………………………………..

“There’s been increased activity in Zaun.” Cait reported, “Nothing to be concerned over, but definitely some increased activity.”

“And Marcus?”

“Nowhere to be found.” She frowned, “How is… Miro?”

“Getting paint all over my nice uniforms, climbing over me when he wants to, getting into places he’s not meant to- “

“- And you love it.”

Jayce found himself nodding before she even finished. “He’s so smart, you can see it! And I took him to the little playground and he just… looked at me with this look of wonder in his eyes! It was incredible!”

Cait watched him babbling for a moment, before nervously clearing her throat. “Don’t…don’t grow too attached.” She gently warned him, “Has he said anything more about his family? His Mama?”

“…No.”

“We need to send another message to Silco. Maybe he knows something more?”

It wasn’t hard to see the disappointment on Jayce’s face, but to his credit, he pushed it back.

“I’ll send one out... hopefully he won’t try and kill me for not getting Zaun the independence I promised I would.”

“Somehow, I think he has other things to worry about.”

…....................................................

Jayce sent the message off, before deciding to take Miro into the town, feeling tiny hands gripping onto his hair as Miro balanced carefully on his shoulders.

“How’s the weather up there?” He teased the child, wincing when Miro tugged on his dark strands, almost as though he was scolding Jayce for the bad joke, “Ow, ow!”

“Music!”

Jayce paused, realising that yes, there was music in the distance. It sounded like some sort of street party to him, heading in that direction as Miro started to bounce up and down in excitement.

Which was a little painful considering how bony Miro was, but Jayce was willing to let it pass.

Heading down stone steps, they came upon a courtyard, a crowd of colourful people twirled around a pole in the middle. His heart stopped in his chest when he saw the sight, quickly realising what this day this way.

The beginning of the Winter Fair.

How many times had he managed to drag Viktor out here to see the festivities? Granted, on those days, there wasn’t usually as much snow, but the cheer was still there.

“Ooo.” Miro whispered, prompting Jayce to look up at the toddler, whose golden eyes were on the dancers.

Jayce often wondered if Zaun had any dancing like this, but it never seemed right to ask Viktor about that. Still, when they came down here all those years ago, it hadn’t been hard to see Viktor’s cane tapping on the frosty ground.

“Do you want to dance?”

Miro immediately started to bounce up and down in excitement, tugging on Jayce’s hair as they got closer to the courtyard, just as the crowd dance shifted into everyone partnering up.

Jayce ignored the hopeful looks that he was getting, moving Miro from off his shoulders until the toddler was carefully balanced on his feet. He held onto Miro’s two hands, steadying him as Miro wobbled from side to side, looking a little uncertain over the new position.

“It’s okay…” Jayce whispered, “…I’ve got you.”

That slightly amazed but happy look he was getting.

It was just like Viktor’s.

Taking a deep breath, he started to slowly move, feet moving in time with the spin as they spun around, Miro squealed in delight when he picked up the pace. The snow crunched underneath his feet as he moved around, the slightly chilly wind biting at their noses.

The enthusiasm of the crowd spurred Jayce on, unable to stop himself from smiling.

When the music came to a stop, Jayce lifted Miro up into his arms, watching as the toddler clapped his hands together and called out “Again! Again!”

Members of the crowd chuckled at the child’s enthusiasm. Yes, the crutch got a few odd looks, but nobody said anything, and Jayce was grateful for that. He carried Miro away from bustling celebrations, down the same paths that he took with Viktor all those years ago, down towards the water.

Miro seemed transfixed by the sight of the trees that was down this path, making Jayce wonder if he had ever seen anything like this before.

Probably not in Zaun.

“Oooo.”

“Yeah… Ooooo.” Jayce’s eyes fell on a nearby wall, remembering pinning Viktor up against him and kissing the breath out of him, “You know… my husband and I used to come down here all the time.”

It was probably a little wrong to vent like this to a small child who had never met Viktor, but Jayce couldn’t help himself.

It was nice to talk to someone who didn’t have that look of pity on their face.

He continued down the path, still talking softly for about ten minutes, before he felt Miro shivering a little on his shoulders.

“Alright.” He sighed, “Let’s get back ho- back to the apartment.”

Chapter Text

“We received a message… Miro is in Piltover.”

There was a raspy noise that was not unlike a sigh of relief.

“…He’s with Talis. Apparently he found Miro on the bridge in the middle of a snowstorm.”

“Jayce has him?”

“Hm. I don’t think he knows exactly who Miro is though…apparently I am to look for the boy’s mother. Once of my easier jobs, it must be said.”

“When can we go and get him?”

“As soon as you want.”

……………………………………………………………………..

“There, you look a little smarter now.”

Miro looked down at the smart clothing of white and red, not looking overly impressed, but nodded.

“…You hate it, don’t you.” Jayce chuckled, the look on the toddlers’ face reminding him of Viktor’s when his husband had to attend a benefactor ball. Miro’s hair was still sticking up in all directions, nothing seeming to be able to tame it in the slightest, but it added a certain charm to the entire look.

“Come on.” He chuckled, holding out his hand as Miro wrapped his fingers around Jayce’s fingers, “Let’s get something to drink first, and then we can go out.”

Miro did not seem to know how to move in these new clothes, but moved along beside him anyway, a disgruntled look on his face. They headed into the kitchen, where Jayce started to pour him some milk, only for Miro started to poke Jayce in the leg and shake his head.

“Alright, alright, what do you want to drink then?”

“…Sweetmilk p’ease.”

Jayce hoped his expression wasn’t too obvious on his face, turning away quickly anyway, just in case. “Sure thing kid!” He forced out, voice cheerful but strained. Reaching up to grab a mug, he frowned at just how many of them had his face on it.

One, Viktor had bought because he thought he was hilarious and seeing Jayce’s grimace never failed to cheer him up.

The others were all because people thought he would appreciate them.

He did not.

He reached past them, into the back, where a roughly painted mug sat. He’d been so annoyed with the continuous marketing about him and Viktor’s teasing, that he’d made this mug as a sort of revenge.

It didn’t look a thing like Viktor, but Viktor loved it anyway.

“One sweetmilk, coming right up.” He sighed, examining the mug a little, before placing it next to his own.

He still remembered the process like it was only yesterday he’d made this drink and not several years ago, gently handing it to Miro. “Careful, it’s hot.”

Obediently, Miro blew at it for a while, before taking a sip, humming in delight. He then looked at the picture on the mug, tilting his head to one side in confusion.

“I know, it’s pretty bad, isn’t it?” Jayce chuckling, “There’s a reason I never painted my husband.”

Miro continued to examine it for a moment, before taking another sip, an almost sad look in his eyes.

“I know kid… come on, drink up and then we can go out.”

……………………………………………………………….

It was the last day of the celebrations, and Jayce couldn’t help but feel like something big was going to happen.

He didn’t know if it was bad or good, but something was going to happen.

“Ow.” Miro muttered, after a few moments of limping alongside Jayce, looking pleadingly up at him and holding up his arms, “Up please.”

Jayce didn’t hesitate.

He never hesitated when Miro looked up at him like that.

Lifting the child into his arms, they headed further into the celebrations, narrowly avoiding being hit by another crowd od dancers. Seeing the slight grimace on Miro’s face, Jayce frowned in concern. “Are you in pain? Is it your leg?”

“Mm.” Miro nodded, burying his face into Jayce’s neck.

“Has-has your Mama mentioned anything about getting you a new leg? A fake one?”

Miro nodded again, “Got to get bigger.” He stated, making Jayce pause, before he realised what Miro probably meant.

Children, from what he knew, grew like weeds and with resources being scarce down in Zaun, maybe Miro’s mama was simply waiting for Miro to have stopped growing before getting him a prosthetic leg.

“I bet you’re looking forward to that then?”

“Mm!” Miro pointed over at some children running past, “I want to do that.”

Such a simple thing.

The words made Jayce’s heart pang.

So distracted, he didn’t notice the Enforcer moving closer, until there was a pistol pressed against his lower back.

“Come quietly Councillor.” The man hissed, “We don’t want to cause a scene now.”

“…At least let me put Miro- “

“- The child comes with us.”

Jayce moved Miro into his arms, holding the toddler close to his chest in order to better protect him.

Hopefully someone would notice that they’d gone missing.

………………………………………………………………..

“They’ve been gone for a while.” Mel mused, looking down at the celebrations, which were starting to wind down to an end, “Did they say whether or not they’d be out for longer?”

“No.” Sky forced herself to be the calm one in the situation, “They didn’t, but I’m sure they’ll come back soon.”

Mel hummed thoughtfully; eyes still focused on something outside, only to suddenly spring to her feet. “No, I have a bad feeling about all this.” She was already heading for the door, with Sky rushing to catch up with her. They raced down the stairs, towards the exit, only for Mel to suddenly freeze in place.

She stopped so quickly, that Sky nearly bumped into the back of her.

Looking around, she could see why there was that dramatic reaction.

“Councillor Medarda.” Silco didn’t look worried about the Enforcers surrounding them, “I believe you have found a citizen of ours?”

Chapter Text

Jayce pulled Miro closer to his chest as they were led down the back alleys of Zaun, taking care to avoid stepping in the nasty, almost glowing puddles that lined the cobblestones.

“It’s okay.” He whispered, feeling Miro shaking a little, “It’ll all be okay.”

Someone would notice that they were missing, right?

“What is all this about?” He asked, the men leading them, recognising them as Enforcers who had managed to escape before the ‘Marcus purge’, “You don’t honestly think you’ll get away with kidnapping a Councillor, right?”

Silence.

“Look, I don’t know what Marcus promised you, but- “

The cold metal of the gun pressing against the back of his head made him freeze in place.

“Enough.” The Enforcer snapped, “Keep. Walking.”

………………………………………………………..

Silco forced himself to remain still, even as Vander paced the small office behind him.

“So… they’re officially missing then?” He stated, voice calm and measured, “No doubt about it.”

“The sun has set and they’re not back.” Sky whispered, “Jayce has been insistent on making sure that Miro eats and sleeps at proper times, he wouldn’t stay out this late, especially if the festival is over. Long over!”

Silco believed her, hearing the distant sound of destruction nearby.

It was very nice of Councillor Medarda to give them a room for Powder to release her frustrations out in.

“So, what is the plan? Do we have any suspects?”

“Marcus.” Councillor Medarda didn’t even hesitate, “We’ve recently discovered evidence that he was probably behind the Council Room explosion, and the murder of Viktor Talis and his unborn child... Holding Councillor Talis hostage may be Marcus’s final play.”

Here, Sky looked as though she were going to say something, but bit back her words, making Silco glance over at Herald... who hadn’t said a word since the news of Miro’s kidnapping was revealed.

“We believe that he was probably also behind Miro’s kidnapping.” Councillor Medarda whispered, “Although, we don’t know why he targeted Miro specifically.”

Silco fought to remain still, even as Vander came to a stop and the Herald straightened up.

“We… have an idea as to why.” He confessed vaguely, “Miro- “

“- I will find him.” Herald boomed, his voice echoing throughout the room, “I know how Marcus thinks.”

“…Where do you think they are?”

“This is a plan to lure me out… he is back in Zaun, and that will be his undoing.”

…………………………………………………………………….

In the end, it was decided that Mel, Caitlyn and Silco would accompany the large, robotic being down into Zaun.

“Singed will be keeping an eye out for anything unusual.” Silco reported, “He has been doing ever since Miro’s disappearance.”

“Let us hope that he has more luck than us.” Mel kept her eyes on the Herald’s back, wondering if it were just her imagination, or was the slightly lopsided gaunt familiar.

It was a fight to keep up with them, whoever they were.

Ignoring the rats scurrying around them, they headed into the back alleys, as minutes turned to hours.

“They must be somewhere.” Silco hissed, “Are you sure they wouldn’t have stayed in Piltover?”

The Herald was silent for a moment, coming to a stop and looking around. Their fists tightened, and were they flesh, Mel knew it would be tight enough to hurt.

“They cannot hide him from me.” The words came out barely above a hiss, “Nothing will keep him from me!”

“Mister Herald!”

They all turned to see a white-haired young man fly towards them on a hover board.

“Ekko…you’ve found something?”

“The East side Warehouses.” Ekko reported, “We’ve seen several Enforcers hanging around there. You would have thought they’d change out of that uniform, but maybe it’s a pride thing.”

“Lead us.”

Mel glanced over at Silco, who seemed happy to let the Herald take control….in fact, he almost seemed to revel in it.

They reached the warehouse district, the only light coming from the moon above and the orange glow of the Herald’s eyes and the claw on his back.

The first gunshots came, and from there, it was nothing but a massacre.

Mel stepped over the unconscious, but heavily bleeding body of an Enforcer, watching as some of the less brave Enforcers all made a run for it, clearing not expecting anyone like the Herald to be making an appearance.

She looked over at Cailyn, who looked just as disturbed as her. The, she looked over at Silco, who looked almost giddy.

They reached the warehouse that the officers had been guarding, with the heavy-duty doors doing nothing to keep the Herald out, the claw burning through the metal locks, as they burst in

The area was dimly lit, with Jayce seated in the middle, clutching a sleeping bundle to his chest as a gun was pointed right at his head. Jayce smiled nervously at them.

“Nice of you all to join us.” He forced out, eyes on Mel and Cait for a moment, before they lingered on Silco and the Herald.

The Herald almost seemed frozen in place.

“Well, isn’t this cute.” Marcus hissed, his gun never wavering, “Weapons on the ground… including that little claw.”

Carefully, Cait placed her gun on the ground as Mel and Silco held their hands up. The Herald though, didn’t move a muscles, claw whirring almost threateningly.

Until Marcus lowered the gun a little longer, barrel aiming at Miro instead.

Only then, did the claw depower and hang limply off of his back.

“Better.” Marcus whispered, “You know, it was all going so well. I had everything planned out and then you all had to RUIN it for me!”

Mel could understand why the man’s wrath was aimed at her and Jayce, with them being on the Council and not falling for the plot to implicate Zaun. Caitlyn, she could understand, as the Enforcer had showed herself to be a trustworthy and unbribable officer and Silco…well, Silco had done everything in his power to stop Marcus from simply taking over Zaun with Shimmer.

Why was he giving the Herald such a vicious look though?

Was it possible that her and Sky’s whispered theories were correct?

“You were foolish to expect everyone to bow to you.” The Herald stated, “Don’t make any more foolish mistakes.”

“Like what?” Marcus moved closer, the gun now closer to the pair, as Jayce shot him a vicious look, moving Miro away as best he could, ”Like this?”

The movement stirred Miro, as the toddler pulled slightly away from Jayce’s chest, looking around the room, before his eyes landed on the Herald and widened.

“Mama!” He called out, twisting a little in Jayce’s grasp.

Mel wasn’t quite quick enough to stifle her gasp, but it was drowned out by Jayce’s own sound of disbelief.

“Mama.”

“Hush Miro.” The Herald’s voice was soothing, despite the echoing effect of his voice, “It’ll all be alright.” He then tilted his head to one side, “Do you still have your cane?”

It was an odd question, but Miro responded with a nod anyway.

“Good boy.”

And then the cane was jabbed right into the side of Marcus’s neck, an electric current shooting right through it.

Chapter Text

Marcus’s entire body jerked and seized up when electricity coursed through him, tensing up before his muscles gave up on him and he crashed to the ground.

If there were any guards in the shadows, they were quickly taken out by Silco and the Herald, silence filling the area for a moment before Miro climbed off of Jayce’s lip, rushing over to the Herald, one arm already outstretched.

“Mama!”

The claws on the man’s gloves instantly retracted as he lifted Miro into his arms. Mel couldn’t tell whether or not he was smiling under the emotionless mask, but she just knew that he was.

“You are alright?” The Herald’s voice was a little softer, as Miro nodded, ”Good. We must get out of here.”

Jayce shakily got to his feet, glancing down at the still-twitching body of Marcus, before heading over to the group. “Silco.” He greeted, “I- “

“- We can talk when we’re safe.” Silco stated, as they rushed out, mismatched eyes scanning the area, before a transport van suddenly raced towards them, skidding to a stop in front of them.

There was a pause, before Vander poked his head out of the window. “Need help?”

“Where did you get this?”

“Singed.”

“Of course… should I expect some gruesome back here?”

“Not after I took it out.”

The back of the van was opened up and they quickly climbed inside.

BANG

The Herald grunted as a bullet struck him in the shoulder.

“GET IN!” He ordered, still clutching at his son, “NOW!”

The doors shut behind them.

“DRIVE!”

Vander was already setting off, the van roaring to life as everyone in the back fought not to fall over, hearing other vehicles give chase behind them.

“Dammit.” The Herald grumbled, handing Miro back over to Jayce, “Keep a tight hold of him.”

“S-sure!”

There was a look on Jayce’s face that indicated that he had no idea what was going on right now.

“Is the bullet lodged into the metal or further?” Silco asked, shuffling until he was closer to the Herald, pushing at the being until they turned, so he could have a look, “I think you got lucky.”

“Umm.” Jayce softly piped up, bracing himself as the van swerved from side to side, “Sorry but, who are you?”

There was a moment of silence as the Herald turned to Jayce, glowing eyes focusing in on him.

“No one of consequence.” He eventually stated, with Silco giving him an odd look, before the gang leader turned his attention back to the bullet wound.

The rest of the drive passed by in silence.

………………………………………………

They skidded over the border between the two cities, with Mel quickly taking charge of anyone who might have protested the dramatic entrance.

“Should we get you to the hospital, or- or- “Jayce paused, shifting Miro a little in his arms as he bit at his lower lip, unsure over what to say.

“- Or a robotics lab?” The Herald chuckled, “Unfortunately, I am still human under all of this. I have had enough experiences with these wounds to manage it on my own however.”

“It’s in a bit of an awkward place though, wouldn’t- “

“- I will be fine, Councillor Talis.” The Herald reached out and took Miro into one arm, the toddler knowing exactly where to grip to stabilize himself, “Thank you though.”

Jayce nodded, as Mel addressed the Zaunites.

“If you wish to stay here until our Enforcers arrest Marco and his followers, you are more than welcome to.”

“Thank you.” The Herald nodded his head in thanks, as they headed towards the Academy, Caitlyn already mobilising forces to force Marcus out of hiding places and into cuffs, “I could probably benefit from some medical supplies.”

“We can provide that.”

“I’ll call Singed.” Silco muttered, “You know how he feels about you doing it yourself.”

If Jayce didn’t know any better (and to be honest, he really didn’t), he would say that the robotic being almost looked… sheepish at the words.

“Agreed.”

……………………………………

“Hold still” The odd-looking man, who Jayce presumed to be Singed, prodded at the wound, the Herald letting out a hiss of pain, “Not a terrible wound. You are very lucky that this armour prevented it from going in any further, otherwise we would be dealing with a shattered collarbone.”

“Are you able to remove the bullet?”

“Of course, but it will hurt.”

“Obviously.” The Herald looked up at Jayce, those eyes pinning him in place, “You took care of him.”

“Yes?”

“Despite him being a veritable stranger.”

“...He’s just a child.” Jayce whispered, “How could I do anything else?”

The Herald stared at him for a few moments, before nodding. “You’re a good man Jayce.”

There was something in the way the being said his name that made Jayce pause.

There was... something familiar about it.

….....................................................................

Jayce heard his door opening and closing quietly, prompting him to look over, seeing Miro limping into the lab. “What are you doing in here?” he chuckled, “I thought you’d want to spend more time with your Mama?”

Miro gave him an odd look, before moving closer and tugging on his pants’ leg.

“Umm- “

“- Follow.” The tiny voice practically ordered, “Follow now.”

“I’m sure there’s meant to be a ‘please’ in there somewhere” Jayce tried not to wince, wondering exactly when he’d turned into his own mother. Still, he got to his feet and followed the child out of the room, quickly realising that Miro was leading him back towards his rooms.

“Your Mama can read you a bedtime story, right?”

Miro ignored him, a determined look on his face.

“Umm, kid?”

“Miro.”

They both froze, looking up, to see the Herald standing there, arms folded over their chest, disappointment evident in the being’s voice.

“I went to make you some sweet-milk, and then you were gone. I was very worried you know.”

Miro glanced between Jayce and the Herald, before gesturing violently at Jayce, speaking very quickly in his native tongue as the Herald’s weary sigh breaking through the modulator mask, replying softly in the same language.

Jayce watched silently, feeling a little awkward before Herald looked over at him.

“Would you care to join us for something to drink before Miro has to settle down to bed?”

“Ummm, are you sure?” Jayce rubbed the back of his head, “I don’t want to intrude or anything.”

“You won’t be.” The Herald chuckled, “I think we need to have a conversation anyway.”

Jayce wasn’t sure he liked the sound of that.

………………………………………

“That’s…very sweet milk.”

The Herald chuckled, “This isn’t as sweet as he usually has it. It is late after all.”

Not that reassuring, in the grand scheme of things.

Then again, maybe it was just a Zaun thing? A need to kill your teeth with sugar?

The mug was handed to Miro, who sipped eagerly at it, snuggled underneath a pile of blankets, looking a little buried. Warm, but buried.

Then a mug was shoved into his hands, making him flinch a little, only to take a sniff and realise it was coffee.

He took a sip.

Decaf coffee… just how he liked it.

“How- “

“- I need to tell you something important.” The Herald stated, moving to sit opposite, looking unsure… or, at least as unsure as someone behind a mask could look without seeing the facial expression, “I just wish… you could have been told sooner.”

There was a tense silence between them, with Jayce holding his breath, watching as the beings hand moved to the mask, mere moments away from pulling it off.

BANG.

BANG

BANG

“Marcus has been captured! Marcus has been captured!”

Chapter Text

Shifting a little from side to side, Jayce couldn’t understand how the Herald was just like a statue right now, the pair of them in the observation room as Marcus sat chained to a table.

The Herald had been ready to remove his mask in front of him.

Why?

Why was Jayce so excited by the prospect?

“They’re going to be charging him with murder on top of the other charges.”

Jayce flinched a little, turning to the door, where Mel stood staring at them, an odd look on her face.

“For Viktor.” Mel whispered, “I would add an extra murder charge on, but- “She shrugged, clearly not wanting to go into the discourse that existed when it came to babies in the womb and their status in murder investigations.

“- Good.” Jayce whispered, “Maybe all this will be finally over.”

“I’m afraid the murder charge will not be possible.” Silco stepped into the room, “Unfortunately, there’s a small complication with this.”

“A-A complication?” Jayce frowned, “What complication?!”

Silco glanced over at the Herald once again, before sighing wearily, “Because Viktor is not dead.”

It felt like the world had been pulled out from under his feet, stomach sinking down to the soles of his feet as his heart stopped in his chest.

“Not...dead?” He whispered, “That’s not possible.”

Silence.

“That’s not possible!” Jayce snapped, “Viktor-Viktor would have come back to me, he would have- “

“- He had another life to worry about and with how slippery Marcus has proven himself to be… we didn’t want to take any chances.”

“We?” Jayce turned to the Herald, “You knew about this? You were in on this?!”

For a moment, the Herald simply stared at Silco, before turning to Jayce with a weary sigh, “It’s a complicated situation, that Silco is deliberately not telling the full story of.”

“Then tell me!”

“I don’t know the full story.” The Herald sighed, “Come. Let us find Singed, he knows all of the details.”

…………………………………..

“You believed him to be dead?” Singed sounded almost amused at the thought, making Jayce bristle with anger, believing that he was being mocked.

“I haven’t spoken to my husband in almost four years and we have footage of him being literally thrown from a tower.” Jayce gritted out, “What else was I meant to think?!”

Singed hummed, nodding in acceptance. “Your husband was indeed thrown from that tower, however, we had been tipped off that something might happen so a small group of Zaunites, including myself, snuck into the lower levels and found him mere hours later.”

“F-found him?”

“Viktor is strong, stronger than most gave him credit for.” Here Singed’s voice took on a small note of sadness, “Still, he slipped into a coma, and it all of my resources to keep him alive.”

“… What resources?”

“Shimmer.” The Herald started, “Small amounts that would keep him alive without damaging the child inside.”

Jayce couldn’t help but shudder at the thought.

He had seen the more devastating effects of Shimmer, but to hear that that was probably the only thing keeping Viktor alive?

“How long was he in the coma for?”

“Around a year.”

“And-and he lived?”

“And the child.” Singed stated, “We had to cut the boy free when it was time, but he lived. He was six months old when Viktor was strong enough to survive outside of medical help.”

Jayce reached out for the nearest chair, sitting down heavily into it and burying his face into his hands.

For a moment, there was nothing but silence, until Mel cleared her throat, “We’ll charge him with attempted murder then. I- “

“- Why didn’t he tell me?” Jayce whispered, voice trembling, much to his embarrassment, “Why didn’t he ever come back? Why didn’t he send me a letter or something?”

“He did.” Silco sighed, “But for whatever reason, it never made it to you. I suspect the Enforcers may have something to do with that.”

“When there was no reply to the letter, we assumed the worse.” The Herald stated, “That you had moved on, or that you didn’t care.”

“Didn’t care?! DIDN’T CARE?!” Jayce felt like he was ready to explode, “From the moment that I realised that I wouldn’t be getting my husband back, I’ve just been- it’s like walking through heavy fog. I keep on walking, but I don’t know where I’m going… maybe off the edge of the cliff, and I wouldn’t care.” He looked over at the room where Miro was, “I don’t know how long I would have kept going if it hadn’t been for- “

“- Stop.”

Jayce turned to the Herald, who was obviously glaring at him, even though he couldn’t see that through the mask.

“Don’t say, that the only thing that kept you alive, was Miro… who shouldn’t even have been there in the first place.” The Herald snapped, “You cannot honestly tell me- “

“- that my life was worth living without my omega?!” Jayce snapped, “Viktor was dead, I had NOTHING! What else was I supposed to think?!”

There was a beat of silence, before Silco cleared his throat, “It appears as though there’s been a bit of a miscommunication.” He stated, looking over at Herald with another one of those significant looks that Jayce didn’t fully understand, “Perhaps, it’s time to start over.”

The Herald looked over at Jayce uncertainly, before nodding with a weary sigh, hands moving to the back of his mask once again, hesitating just a little.

Jayce watched silently, feeling a little sick as his adrenaline rush faded away.

It all came rushing back as the mask was peeled, glowing purple eyes turning amber, messy brown hair revealed in all its glory….and two familiar looking moles on pale skin.

Had he been standing; his knees would have collapsed out from under him. As it was, he could do nothing but stare.

Viktor looked away first, looking more than a little apprehensive, clearing his throat. “As said…” His voice and accent were so much clearer now without the voice modulator, “… there was a breakdown in communications. I thought… you wouldn’t want me anymore.”

Jayce any and all words caught in his throat, a veritable lump that he couldn’t swallow.

Yes, Viktor had changed, that much was obvious.

Purple, metallic bits were stretched up the side of his face, and around his neck. He couldn’t but wonder if it stretched down lower.

Was the only fleshy bit Viktor’s face?

Was that what it took to save his life?

“Viktor.” His voice was broken sounding, coming out barely above a whisper.

“Jayce, I- “

Jayce didn’t let him finish the sentence.

Yes, Viktor had hid away from him for years. Yes, he had waited this long to reveal his identity and yes… he had changed.

But he was alive and here, right in front of him.

He swept Viktor up in his arms with a joyful sound he couldn’t quite stop, an action that didn’t last very long, as Viktor’s armour forced him to lower him back down quickly, even as Viktor buried his face into Jayce’s shoulder.

“I missed you.” Viktor whispered, as Jayce nodded, unable to say the words back, feeling his face getting damp with tears. Instead, he pulled Viktor into a kiss, not caring that they were still being watched.

“I love you so much.” He breathed against his omega’s lips. The metallic parts on the sides of Viktor’s face would get some getting used to, but he would manage.

“I love you too.”

“Well…” They heard Silco chuckle to the side of them, “… happy endings all around, it seems? One happy family.”

Family.

Oh.

“Miro.” Jayce gasped, “He’s… mine?!”

Viktor frowned, “Of course he is. He looks just like you!”

“He looks like you!”

“He’s actually a perfect mixture between you both.” Mel piped up, Singed nodding beside her, “That’s why Sky and I first had some suspicions that there was something not quite right about the entire situation.”

“You knew he was my son?!”

“We suspected that something wasn’t right.” Mel reiterated, “But I admit… I thought we might have been wrong when the Herald showed up and Miro called him Mama, well, you can probably understand why we believed we were wrong.”

Jayce could understand.

Viktor was somehow taller now, something possibly to do with the new augmentations?

“I missed three years of his life.” He sighed, quickly shaking his head at Viktor, who looked devastated, clearly seeing these words as Jayce blaming him for the fact, “No, no, no, I-I just wish that none of this had happened. The council room explosion, Marcus’s greed… everything that happened to you… I wish we could turn back time and change all of that.”

There was a moment of silence, before Viktor reached out and took his hand, cradling in gently in metallic hands. “All we can do… is move forwards.” He whispered, “You still have the rest of his life to look forward to.”

Looking into those eyes that he had fallen in love with, Jayce nodded, giving him a shaky smile. “Can we-can I- “

“- I think.” Silco chuckled, “Miro is looking forwards to having his parents back together.”

“I will go and get him.” Singed moved to leave, opening the door, only for Miro to immediately hop inside, heading straight for his Mama, a delighted look on his face when he saw him maskless.

“Mama!”

Viktor lifted him up into his arms, letting Miro pat at his cheeks a little, before the child turned to Jayce and beamed at him.

“Miro…” Viktor whispered, “… this is- “

“- Papa!”

Chapter Text

Jayce, in the few seconds that it took for Miro to enter the room, had many different expectations on how this was going to go.

Having Miro call him “Papa” right off, was not one of the ways he expected this to go.

He felt pinned in place, taking in the dark messy hair and those big golden brown eyes that could melt the thickest of ice. Slowly, he reached out and took Miro into his arms, feeling the toddler snuggling closer, as he looked up at Viktor, seeing that he was just as stunned.

“Miro?” Viktor cleared his throat, “Did you- How do you know that Jayce is your Papa?”

Miro didn’t even seem to register the shock, glancing over at Viktor with a beaming grin. “He had a picture!”

“A picture?”

Jayce frowned for a moment, before his eyes widened in realisation. “On my desk?”

“Hm!”

He looked up at Viktor, “I have a picture of our wedding day on my desk.” He whispered, “I showed Miro it on practically the first night he was here… I told him about you and- “ He looked at Miro, “- But you recognised your Mama?”

Miro nodded.

“You didn’t say anything though?”

Miro shrugged, turning away from Jayce and playing with one of the joins in Viktor’s armour.

“Miro.” Viktor sighed, “Why didn’t you say anything to him?”

“…What if he wasn’t nice?”

Jayce felt like he’d been stabbed in the heart, even as Viktor winced.

It was clear that Miro knew something of their views about Jayce and had concocted some kind of… test for him.

It was a little hurtful to be honest.

Something about those thoughts must have shown on his face, as Miro’s bottom lip started to wobble a little, making Jayce’s heart break, his chest feeling tight.

“Oh, Miro.” Jayce winced, holding his arms out and taking the toddler into them, feeling those tiny hands gripping onto him tightly, “I-I understand. You were worried about me, huh? That I wasn’t a nice man?”

Nod.

“And now? What do you think?”

“You’re nice.” Miro stated for certain, beaming when Jayce let out a sigh of relief.

It wasn’t like he truly expected any other answer, but it was still nice to hear it for certain.

“Good, that’s… good.”

Viktor chuckled, moving a little closer until he was pressed close to Jayce, “Did you really expect any other answer?”

“A little? I did say no to cookies once.”

“You monster.”

Jayce couldn’t help but laugh at the words, thrilled to hear that tone of voice again. The laughter trailed off into something a little hysterical though, as the events of the past week and a bit finally caught up with him.

“It’s okay.” He heard Viktor whisper, unsure as to whether he was talking to him or Miro, “Everything’s okay now.”

No, it wasn’t.

But it would be.

…………………………………………….

Miro was fast asleep in the other room as Jayce and Viktor hovered nervously in the master bedroom.

“It’s been years since I’ve been in here.” Viktor whispered, “I swear these are the same sheets.”

“I’ve changed them, I swear!”

Viktor couldn’t help but chuckle at that, reaching out to pull Jayce closer, only to stop when he realised that he still had his armour on, wincing a little. “Sorry, maybe I should- “

“- Let me?”

They locked eyes once, silence stretching on between them until Viktor shyly smiled at the other man.

“Alright… first things first…”

……………………………………

Jayce didn’t remember falling asleep.

He remembered holding Viktor close once the armour was off, taking in the augmented parts that had clearly saved Viktor’s life (the armour did make him a little taller, he was pleased to note).

“I can run now.” Viktor whispered, “Actually run.”

“That’s…amazing. You don’t need your crutch anymore then?”

“Occasionally.” Viktor admitted, “I still feel weary, and that weariness can make my leg ache as though I were completely human and- “

“- You are still human!”

“But not completely. “Viktor leant over, pressing a gentle kiss to the tip of Jayce’s nose, “I have come to terms with this Jayce, don’t worry. Singed… did what he had to do in order to save my life, and Miro’s life.”

“I don’t know how I can ever pay him back for saving you.”

“Unfettered access to Piltover resources would probably do it.” Viktor sighed, “But…don’t. Something a little less dangerous, I think.”

Jayce hummed softly, wondering if Singed really would appreciate unhindered access to what they had to offer.

With those thoughts, he slipped off into sleep.

……………………………………….

That night, he was startled awake by someone shaking his arm. He didn’t immediately register what was happening, just blinking slowly and taking in his surroundings, until he heard little whimpers and sniffing. He turned around from the wonderfully warm presence in his arms, looking over the side of the bed to see Miro standing there, eyes overflowing and trying very hard not to make too much noise.

Jayce’s heart broke instantly at the sight.

“Hey kiddo.” He whispered, “What’s wrong?”

Miro said something, stuttering over the words in the familiar sounding, but un-understandable, language.

“Ummm… do you want to sleep with us?”

Miro nodded, letting Jayce reach out and lift him onto the bed with him, wiping at his cheeks. “What’s wrong?”

“B-Bad dream.” Miro whispered, tears falling down his cheeks.

“Ah.” Jayce pulled him into his arms, wrapping the blankets and duvets around him, so that the child was lying on his shoulder, pressed up to his side. Miro curled in onto himself, and his hands were tight into tiny fists on Jayce’s chest. Softly caressing the little boy’s hair, he dropped a kiss on top of his head, “Go to sleep now.” He whispered, “We’re here.”

“Mama and Papa.”

“Yes… Mama and Papa.”

Miro slowly uncurled his fists and relaxed, his breathing getting heavier as he slipped off into sleep.

……………………..

Miro was up at seven the next morning, much like usual, climbing over Jayce to get to Viktor, who chuckled.

“I am up. I am up.” The omega whispered, pulling his son into a one-armed hug, “You know, you can sleep in some days, it will not kill you.”

Jayce decided not to point out that Viktor used to be just as bad, content with watching his little family, resisting the urge to pull Miro onto his lap, just in case he accidentally hurt Viktor.

He had to trust that the pair were comfortable with each other’s limits.

He chuckled when Viktor’s fingers dug into Miro’s side, making the toddler giggle.

Did they have rules back in Zaun?

No inventing in bed, like he had to insist with Viktor when they first moved in?

Speaking of inventing… was Miro an inventor? He sensed that the child understood more than what he was necessarily let on, but was he like Viktor or Jayce? Pulling things apart and learning how to put them back together?

“What are you looking at us like that for?” Viktor’s voice broke through his thoughts, shaking him out of his thoughts as a soft smile spread across his face.

“I was… just thinking about how much I love you.”

“Hm… soppy.”

“Very.” Jayce snuggled in close, “But I don’t care.”