Chapter Text
The photography business in Piltover was small, but ferocious in its expansion. The city of progress was a busy one, so a transition from the traditionally ornate, long-term stylings of oil paintings to the modern, innovative quickness of a camera was to be not only expected but encouraged. You were the proud inventor of one of the newest additions to the device, giving you the ability to not only perfectly capture images, but also render them in vivid color – an ability none of your few competitors could advertise. If they were to get off their metaphoric high horses and ask you about the technology you’d have been happy to share, but until they admitted that you and your ‘unfavorable’ tactics had worked you were more than happy to remain exclusive. And holy crap if that hadn’t done you a favor here.
You, you , had been asked to capture the likeness of Piltover’s very own Man of Progress, Jayce Talis. The Jayce Talis was going to be photographed by you! You’d almost screamed when the request had arrived at your small townhome, ornately penned in dark blue ink and sealed with House Talis’ hammer. This project would cement you as Piltover’s first and only celebrity photographer, which could only spell more high-end clientele, which meant more funds with which to supply your other, less profitable hobbies, and supplement the continuation of your experimentation with camera technology. If the shoot went well it could change everything – you could quit the side delivery gig you’d taken up to afford to rent your studio space and finally have time to actually relax. This is why there was a thick layer of stress barely hidden underneath the exaltation you were trying to focus on – yes, this shoot could make your career, but this shoot could also break your career entirely if your tech screwed up, or you dropped your lenses because you got shaky and nervous.
It’s not that you’re unconfident in your technological developments, but rather the fact that you’d be using them in front of one of the prolific inventors of Hextech himself. If something messed up, or your prints didn’t come out properly, or heavens forbid you over-exposed the man, you would never forgive yourself. In fact, you were hoping that if any of those things happened, or even worse, you forgot your own name, the ground would choose that day to open up and swallow you whole. You do try to reassure yourself, taking practice shots and doing maintenance on your machines as you try to sort out which of your devices would be best suited for this project, given the likelihood of close-ups as compared to long-range shots. You were good at your job, being one of the only people in a fledgling business does that to you, but you would be lying if you didn't say you were afraid of messing up this once in a lifetime opportunity.
The whole reason you’d picked up a camera in the first place was your desire to preserve moments – a friend’s birthday, fireworks in the sky in celebration of Progress Day, the way the sun flitted across Piltover’s gorgeous architecture. Then it became a way for you to creatively express yourself without losing too much time; sure, developing the film could take weeks, but the shots themselves could be taken near-instantaneously. You’d spent all of your free time (and most of your finances) in order to develop the ability to photograph in color, and you were shocked that Piltover’s ‘finest’ deemed it impressive or interesting enough to warrant asking you to photograph their beloved golden boy.
When the day of the shoot finally rolls around, you feel surreally calm, going through the motions of your morning routine easily. It isn’t until you’re walking up the steps of the Academy and heading towards Jayce’s lab that the frenetic energy kicks in, and you find small goosebumps raising themselves on your skin. You force yourself to take deep breaths, refusing to allow yourself to panic when you’re this close to success and instead focus on the task in front of you – identifying which one of these many identical doors belongs to the one and only Jayce Talis. While walking down the halls in a confused haze, you’re eventually approached by a young woman with glasses, her hair in a bun.
“Sorry, would you happen to be the photographer Jayce scheduled an appointment with? He and Viktor were discussing it earlier, and with the camera, I couldn’t help but assume…”
“Yes, I am! I’m supposed to meet with him in about five minutes, but I will readily admit that I’m not the best with directions and am just a little turned around.” You smile at her, a gesture she easily returns.
The woman – who introduces herself as Sky – is thankfully able to lead you in the right direction, depositing you in front of another identical door you would likely never have found on your own. Bidding her goodbye, you take a deep breath (and try to fix your hair) before knocking on the door. Moments later, the large frame of one Jayce Talis stands in front of you, a smile on his face as he beckons you into the room. The laboratory is clean, at least by your standards, though most of the surfaces are overtaken by blueprints and machinery. It’s impressive how much metal is able to fit in one space, especially when all of it seems to have some kind of defined purpose. You and Jayce shake hands (holy shit you just shook hands with the founder of Hextech), exchanging introductions as he leads you to a table.
“Right well, before we got started I figured we should talk vision and all that?”
“Of course. I figured you’d want some reference points, so I brought some other shots I’ve done so we can have a frame to work around.” You pull the photographs from your bag, spreading them out on the table so Jayce can take a closer look. “I thought since you’re ‘Man of Progress’ it could be interesting to have you posed so you’re looking forward? Capture a ¾ profile or something along those lines as well as some full-body shots and some candids of you working in the lab.”
Jayce agrees with your assessment, eyes lingering on the photographs with what you hope is artistic appreciation. The two of you agree to head back to your studio before returning to the lab in the early evening, during Piltover’s golden hour. After some coaxing, Jayce turns out to be a wonderful model, receptive to your directions and micromanaging his expressions in a way you’d always assumed was just humanly impossible. In another life, as a non-scientist, some artist would probably have loved to have him as a muse.
When you arrive back at the lab, the sun is just barely beginning to set. The lab is bathed in gorgeous shadows, and you put Jayce to work almost instantly. You can’t help the mounting excitement of developing this roll, or the relieved shock that somehow this day has gone completely to plan. If the photographs come out well, this would be the shoot that changes your life. It is as the sun is dipping completely out of sight that the door to the laboratory opens again, and in steps who is perhaps the most beautiful man you’ve ever seen. And as a photographer, you’ve seen a lot of beautiful people. But him? This man?
He’s got cheekbones so sharp they could cut you, lightly tousled hair, and eyes full of an intensity you’re unused to in most of your work. There’s no vacancy to them, it’s as though they radiate the fire of intelligence, a spark of passion which demanded to be seen; a hunger. He’s dressed elegantly, supporting himself with a cane as he moves closer.
“I wasn’t aware you were still with your photographer, Jayce, my apologies. I finished running the numbers for our… project, and couldn’t wait any longer before continuing.” Why couldn’t he have had an annoying voice, damn it?
“I think we were just about to finish up, so while I’d love for you to take a full day off sometime the lab should be free for you to use to your heart’s content.”
“Thank you, Jayce.”
“Oh right – introductions are probably in order. Viktor?”
“Mm, yes. I am Viktor, Jayce’s partner.” Partner as in science buddies, or partner as in boyfriend?
“Viktor is the co-founder of Hextech, we wouldn’t be anywhere near where we are today without him. He just prefers to stay out of the spotlight, he’s a little camera shy.” Partner as in science buddies… probably . You nod in understanding before introducing yourself to Viktor, who gives you a distant smile when you finish. He then proceeds to incline his head in acknowledgement of your presence in lieu of shaking your hand before heading to what is presumably his workspace.
You glance at Jayce, glance at the camera, and then glance at Viktor. Jayce nods at you subtly, and you grin at him in response. Viktor is apparently quick to become fully involved in his work because he seems to notice nothing when you gingerly begin moving around the lab and taking shots of him. He’s bathed in pale moonlight, the silvery light making him look ethereally beautiful as he sets out the materials for his project. You truly wish you could spend more time capturing him, you’d love to have him properly model for you so you could pose him. There’s something about the candid human form that’s impossible to replicate though, and in the way Viktor deftly handles the machinery he’s working with you can’t help but feel lucky you’ll have physical evidence of this particular encounter.
You’re reminded of your actual job when Jayce lightly clears his throat, and you feel your heart stutter as you take one final shot of Viktor pulling on a pair of goggles, before turning to face your actual client.
“About how long do you think it’ll take for these to be developed?” Jayce has an odd smile on his face, which you choose to ignore.
“Ten days or so, I should have them back to you no later than two weeks from now by my estimate.”
“Wonderful. And you’re sure you don’t mind coming by here again to drop them off?”
“Of course I don’t mind! You’re probably one of the busiest people in Piltover, I can take a couple of hours out of my day to deliver you your photographs, it’s really no trouble for me.” As if you would let this client pick up his own photos. He’s only part of the team that invented the most important technology of our generation, probably of the millennium.
Jayce laughs, rubbing the nape of his neck.
“Well thank you, I appreciate it. I guess we’ll see you soon, then?”
You nod agreeably, allowing Jayce to walk you to the door of the lab and insisting that he doesn’t have to lead you out of the Academy and its winding corridors himself. You’re an adult, you can handle leaving a building by yourself. Hopefully, at least.
Once you’ve successfully weaved yourself out of the Academy’s maze, you allow yourself a little fist pump in the air instead of fainting on the excessive amount of stairs over your success today. You’d done it! You were going to be a successful, full-time photographer who made art instead of only taking pictures of rich topsider jerks! You were going to prove them all wrong.
That night, you begin the process of developing your film, which is somehow both your favorite and least favorite part of photography, probably because of the high risk/reward of getting it right. Too many chemicals here, not enough there, or improperly balancing your bleach or dyes and the photo would be completely ruined. But, get everything perfect, and you’d have an exact replica of the moment the photo had been taken. It also always leaves you smelling like chemicals, and covering your eyes as you exit the red light of the darkroom. So, with a carefulness honed by years of practice, you meticulously apply dye couplers and your necessary chemical developers, eventually wrapping up in time for you to have a late dinner and slip into bed. As you lie there, in the blissful few moments of pure clarity before falling asleep, you can’t help but remember the way the moon highlighted Viktor’s sharp features; the way the shadows somehow elevated his effortless beauty.
If Jayce would have been some artist’s ideal muse in another life, you think Viktor might actually be yours in this one.