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It was a common sight to see groups of children roaming the crowded streets and alleyways of the Undercity. It was even more common to see them unattended and straying away from the judgemental, older eyes of others. It hadn’t always been like this, but times had changed since the attempted uprising against the topsiders; one that had ended in needless death and bloodshed that tore family and friends apart. Despite the shared desire amongst many Zaunites to live a life similar to those above, it was easier to continue the way it was now by trying to survive in any way they could … but some weren’t satisfied with such a result.
Since his return to the Undercity, with a strengthened resilience and motivation to see his home thrive the way it deserved, Viktor found himself spoken of in the occasional hushed whispers of passersby. Unlike his old companion from the academy, his reasoning for introducing the technology he had utilized during his time in Piltover wasn’t for recognition, but to improve well-being, to show everyone that this is what they could be. What they were supposed to be.
However, his newer inventions and attempts at progress hadn't been greeted with open arms by all. He knew of many that called him a ‘monster’ or deranged for his methods. They looked down at him for displays that could be seen as unethical or immoral, just as the Council had back in Piltover, yet it was the words of those that had allowed Viktor to reach where he is now. It was their disdain - the feeling he was so familiar with - that made him push harder and harder for change.
So when he saw her, he knew right away. She held herself with squared shoulders and a sharp look to her eyes, but upon closer look, she was worn. She was torn apart from living a life of loss and struggle; fighting tooth and nail to find stability that she hadn’t seen since a very young age. Even then, with all the work that she put in, it ended with nothing but more hurt. More pain. The very emotions that caused the human condition of suffering.
Their encounter was by chance. While he was usually on top of maintaining security outside his lab, and chastised himself when falling behind, this was the one-time Viktor was glad for his negligence.
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The crash rang out and set the brunette on alert, forcing him to abandon his work at hand in search of the disturbance. Someone had the audacity to break into his home? Perhaps it was time to make some truth of the rumors that had been flying around … he did need new additions to his arsenal of robots after all. However, instead of meeting the expected thief in the act, he saw the young woman from many times before, her pink eyes vibrant and wild with fear. She bared her teeth in a hiss and quickly aimed her weapon at him.
“Don’t you dare move or I’ll shoot ya right in that clunky, metal skull of yours!"
Viktor stared blankly in response, the vents along his torso rippling and spewing steam in a mock sigh. He took note of how the younger faltered, her hold on the gun loosening, until he made another step towards her. She went rigid again and snapped, “What did I just say, tin-man? I told ya to stay put!”
“If you needed a hideout, you could have asked me,” the brunette mumbled beneath the mask and cocked his head in a subtle tease. “I know the enforcers aren’t too fond of you considering everything that has happened. I don’t mind lending a hand to those who require the assistance."
His indifference made her stammer on her next words, nose wrinkled and brows pinched in obvious confusion. “Ho-How do you know about me? Been creeping around and takin’ notes? Like sheesh, if you wanted to get in my pants that bad, yo-”
An agitated growl under the steel made her go quiet and snap her arms to her side. The brunette nods towards the corridor leading to the inner part of his lab as he begins to walk. “Others may have come off as such, but I have very little interest in anything of that realm. Is it not often that someone gives you aid without ulterior motives?”
The blue-haired woman made an indignant noise behind him, but Viktor was able to hear her footsteps trailing behind him. “Are you a psychotherapist or some shit? Why does it matter?” She tried her best to sound annoyed, but he was able to pick up the cracking in her tone. Perhaps he hit a nerve…
Viktor shook his head. “No, no ... but I do know the look of someone who has been through life too young. I’ve seen it more often since returning to the Undercity. It’s one of the reasons I’ve come back,” the end of the hallway stretched out to reveal the cavernous space that made his workspace, “Drowning under the waves and - hopefully - finding what you need to scrape the surface for fresh air.” He's beginning to speak with more emotion than he has since his return. Feelings were a weakness, but this was the rare occurrence that he knew they were needed. She needed to know that someone knew - someone heard her.
She huffs behind him, waiting for him to sit at his workbench, before hoisting herself onto the top of it. Those vivid eyes stared at him with confusion and suspicion.
“What’s your name, Clockwork? And why are you wearing that mask? It looks stuffy-” she moves in a flash, hands darting out and unhooking the straps of the helm. There’s laughter filtering past her lips until it slowly dies off, observing how the brunette in front of her recoils away with furious eyes. The dreaded sensation she experienced when recalling memories of her earlier years rolls in the pit of her stomach, churning harshly until she felt nauseated. “I-I’m sorry. I-I didn’t-”
“It’s fine,” he finally let out the breath he was holding out in a sharp exhale, steadying the shaking in his hands, “Just ask next time. Please.”
Amber hues look up and catch her curling into herself, tucking her face into her knees with the mask hanging loosely from her grasp. Viktor couldn’t stop the frown from crossing his lips when she spoke timidly, “I didn’t know … I didn’t know; I’m sorry." The crack in her voice he had heard previously came back in full, accompanied with watery eyes. If she could have disappeared in plain sight, she would have.
He struggled to find the words that could ease her. Comforting people was never his strong suit. He was more awkward than anything, and it displayed in the way his posture shifted. To take away some of the abrupt tension, he cleared his throat, and tried to sound casual. “It's Viktor, by the way … You are?”
The woman looks up from her knees, sniffing and drying her cheek against her arm. “You suck at conversation, huh?” Her eyes trail him up and down as a crooked smile curls on her lips, “But if you have to know, it’s Jinx. The one and only!”
It's watching the way her eyes light back up, with that wild and reckless glee, that Viktor feels peace of mind.
He gives a hum of acknowledgement and adjusts himself to face her directly. “Well, I appreciate that you chose my place as your safe haven. I’ll make sure you’re as comfortable as you can be…”
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Jinx gave out a laugh and let herself fall on the brunette’s workbench, braids sprawled over scribbled notes scattered across the surface.
“Man, to think all that we have now wouldn’t be a thing if I wasn’t stirring shit with the topsiders, ya know?” She pivots her head and stares at the mechanized man in front of her, the smile on her lips fond.
Feeling those pink eyes on him, his amber gaze locks with them as he returns the gesture. “Fate and coincidence tend to play hand in hand,” Viktor murmured and continued to tweak with the series of gears in his arm, “I never believed in it until that moment. I had my doubts, but I’ve been second-guessing since. Perhaps it means a lot more than I gave it credit for, hmm?”
He shuts the steel plating over his forearm and stands, giving a stretch and turning away from the younger woman momentarily. She wrinkles her nose and sits up, trying to peer over broad shoulders. “Whatcha doing there, Vik?”
“I’ve been working on a few things of yours for a while now ... I know how you have a particular fondness for these "shark bombs," as you like to call them, and thought it wouldn’t hurt to add a surprise that follows the namesake," he turns and presents one of the grenades to her. Everything seemed the same about it, minus the lack of a pin and what appeared to be spikes protruding from the exterior of it. “You have your ways of doing things I’m not familiar with, but I always did find some interest in the way you managed to craft such trinkets. I hope I didn’t mess up the original design too much.”
He observes Jinx take the bomb and the remote from his grasp with wide, curious eyes. She mulls it over with a quizzical look until realization forms on her features. “You added shrapnel to it … and it’s remote detonated now too?” Her smile was coming back brighter than ever, “Please tell me ya did it with all of them? That’d be so fuckin’ sick if you did!”
Viktor felt a bit of embarrassment creep along his face in a pink flush, his pride swelling at how something so small that he did brought her this much joy. He nodded, “I left a few the way they are, but the rest are adapted to the new programming and installed with the "special surprise" for those unfortunate enough to be near it. It’s my happy birthday to you, Jinx. You rightfully deserve it after everything.”
He doesn’t anticipate her to throw himself at him. The unexpected movement startles him momentarily until he hears her humming excitedly, squeezing his torso in a death-grip of a hug.
With his own sigh of contentment, Viktor wraps an arm around her shoulders in a squeeze as his other hand settled on the top of her head. Sure, while he would always be the first to say feelings were the cause of human error in all accidents, this was different. Perhaps such a contradiction would end in his downfall and create flaws in his studies, but it couldn’t be helped. It couldn’t be when hearing the soft ‘thank you’ against the steel of his torso had one of the last organic parts of him twinging with emotions he’d fought for years to bury down.
She was his to care for now. His to protect, to teach, to help thrive in a world that was ready to destroy anything that shined bright. Even if it meant having to walk through fire, he saw Jinx as his kin now, and that meant he’d be willing to do anything for her - hell or high water.