Work Text:
So far, today had not been a very productive day. And that was something that greatly irritated Viktor.
In the city of progress, it felt as if the entire city as a whole was constantly rushing ahead, pushing forward in pursuit of greatness and all but eager to leave him behind, happy to be rid of Undercity dead weight if he was not actively benefitting them.
And because of this, Viktor had developed quite a complex where if he didn't at least have something to show for his work by the end of the day; a slight improvement or even better, actual results, then he would become irritable, frustrated with himself and often times would find himself still in the lab well past the twelfth bell just to at least get something done and prove that he could be more than the Undercity charity case everyone else saw him as.
Everyone other than... them.
Jayce and Sky, his dear friends who, despite his insistence to the contrary, seemed to view him as the most spectacular person they'd ever met. They didn't care what results he produced or if he even made any progress to begin with, more concerned that he was getting to bed at a reasonable time or that the lab wasn't too cold for him or that he was eating enough food. And although he couldn't yet understand their reasoning for being this way, he appreciated the load of pressure it took off his shoulders.
He enjoyed spending time with Jayce and Sky at the lab, he enjoyed the tireless, giddy hours he and Jayce would spend working on their latest projects and he enjoyed the conversation he exchanged in Sky's calming company.
So while he found his eyes flickering over to the clock every few minutes, the moving hands criticising the time he was wasting simply existing instead of improving and evolving, he tried to keep the thought of Jayce and Sky's unconditional appreciation in mind.
"Something smells good," Jayce commented in the easy way he always did when he wanted Viktor to engage in conversation with him.
Viktor took a moment to place his fruitless project down on the desk and pay attention to the environment around him, the creak of Jayce's chair as he rocked it back, just enough that it wouldn't topple over, the soft sounds of Sky in the little kitchen area, the familiar smell of... home.
"You're making Undercity food." Viktor turned to Sky, posing his words as more of a statement than a question.
She smiled her usual warm smile and nodded, "I went down earlier to visit my sister. I decided I'd pick some food up on my way back and I— um... I thought you'd maybe like some too!"
"It's been a while since I've eaten anything from home." Viktor commented, "That's very thoughtful of you Sky, I would love to try some."
The proud look on her face was bright enough to put the sun to shame. You would have thought she'd just been praised by Janna herself rather than just plain old Viktor.
"If it's alright, Sky," Jayce chimed in, "Could I try some too, please? I've never had Undercity food before. I was told everyone down there ate bugs." He said before realising how that sounded and quickly backtracking, "Sorry, I didn't mean— that's probably offensive, right? I'm sorry, I just meant that—"
"I once saw a man eat a bug the size of his hand." Viktor commented as if he were recalling a fun fact he'd learned.
"Oh! That's— um..." Jayce struggled for words, unsure of what the most polite response would be and trying desperately not to be offensive. Prejudice towards the Undercity was rooted deep in Piltover's culture but Jayce did try his best to change his way of thinking.
"It's alright, Jayce," Sky reassured him, laughing it off in good nature. "You'll find that Piltover makes up many of these rumours about us as a means of scaring you away. If we look like monsters that eat bugs for dinner then you have less incentive to help us. But they will exclude the fact that the reason people have to resort to these measures is from starvation when Piltover shuts down our food supplies. Again"
"Oh..." Jayce said sadly, "That's... yeah. I'm sorry."
"No use talking about it right now. Not like it's going to help anyone." Said Viktor, almost bitterly though not directed at either of the two in the room.
Sky sighed and nodded sadly, turning the conversation back in the direction of food. "I'm almost finished if you'd like to clear some space at the table." She said, gesturing to the little table Jayce had insisted on setting up in the kitchen space but had just ended up covered in notes and scrap parts in the span of about a day.
Jayce was quick on his feet and cleared all the papers off the table and by that, he meant he'd swept them onto the floor with his arm to deal with later.
Sky carried the dishes of food she'd made over to the table with the help of Jayce who grabbed what she couldn't carry and Viktor took this as a sign to join them at the table, sitting down and gratefully accepting the bowl of soup Sky handed him.
"So, what's this?" Jayce asked, stirring the contents of his bowl with a spoon, surprisingly open-minded despite its appearance though that could be said about more than a few things in Jayce's life.
"This is okroshka." Sky supplied, "It's a cold soup made up of raw vegetables and a bit of meat."
"Cold soup?" Jayce repeated.
"Easy to make with what he had." Viktor explained, "Especially when we were young, the electricity in the undercity was... unreliable to say the least. Cold soup was just easier if you didn't want to spend time making a proper fire."
"Huh." Jayce said plainly, examining his bowl. "Well, guess I should get to trying it instead of chatting so much." He shrugged, scooping some of the soup out of the bowl and into his mouth.
The other two followed suit, beginning on their own portions. Viktor noted the fresher quality of the vegetables and the much nicer meat that was clearly much more expensive than anything his family would have been able to afford back in the day, no doubt a result of the money Sky had managed to acquire working in Piltover.
It was still a strange feeling having so much money, much more than he would ever need. Often times Viktor didn't know what to do with it and even felt ashamed that while he was allowed to stay up here in Piltover with all this money and luxury, the people back home were still starving. When he'd first begun being paid and realised just the sheer amount he was earning, he'd tried to give some to the people of the undercity but had quickly been stopped by Heimerdinger who had warned him of the council's concerns of 'upsetting the economy'.
Viktor knew they just didn't want the Undercity getting too wealthy but really, he was helpless to oppose the council. All he could do was sit in his wealth and stew in his guilt.
But while the okroshka Sky had made was objectively better than what he had been used to as a child, he couldn't help but prefer the version his mother had always made. Not that Sky's cooking was bad, not at all, there was just something more to the food than simply the taste of it.
While Viktor and Sky seemed to be enjoying their food, Jayce seemed... well, he was trying to put on a smile and he complimented Sky's cooking but it was pretty clear that he didn't exactly like the food. That was no surprise. To any Piltie used to the luxury meals the city supplied, any Undercity dish would undoubtedly taste like slop. But still, Viktor had hoped he'd like it.
"It's alright if you don't like it, Jayce," Sky said after Jayce had complimented the food for about the fiftieth time, laying it on a little thick. "It's not for everyone. You don't have to pretend to enjoy it."
Jayce chuckled awkwardly, finally putting his spoon down and rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry. It's nothing to do with your cooking! Or even the food! I'm just not a big fan of vegetables. I appreciated getting to try it though!"
In some ways, Jayce was like a toddler. One of those ways was his frustratingly picky eating habits.
People in the Undercity couldn't afford to be picky, his mind bluntly reminded him, but it felt unfair to blame that on Jayce. It would be hypocritical after all, Viktor himself could be picky when it came to flavours, favouring sweet over sour food. Though that thought just made him feel all the more guilty about his disconnect from the Undercity.
"What else did you make?" Jayce asked, poking around at the other dishes Sky had cooked.
"This one is Borscht," Sky said, replacing Jayce's bowl with another. "And some bread to go along with it."
Jayce examined the little roll of bread he was handed with the analysing eyes of a scientist. "Why is it such a specific shape?" He asked, vaguely mimicking the ring shape of the bread with his finger.
"Saves resources." Viktor explained, "Why sell a full loaf when you can sell less for the same price while giving the impression it remains unchanged."
Jayce hummed thoughtfully before dipping the bread in his bowl and trying it. "I like this one a lot more." He concluded, gesturing to the Borscht. "It's really nice!"
Viktor found himself strangely pleased that Jayce was actually willing to give Undercity food a try and that even enjoyed some of it. Viktor wasn't the type to go out in search of Piltie approval even if that's what others thought of him. He worked so hard on his projects and inventions not for the acceptance of a city that had ignored his existence until he could prove himself useful, he did it to make a change in the world and to help the people back home who weren't as lucky as those like himself and Sky. But Jayce on the other hand, Jayce was different. He wanted Jayce to view him as equal not just in terms of their work and their intellectual ability but in general. He wanted Jayce to like the food that he had grown up eating instead of scoffing at it as many other Pilties would have. He wanted Jayce to see him as a friend instead of just a trencher.
"Are you going to have some, Viktor?" Jayce asked, breaking him from his thoughts.
Viktor looked down at the new bowl Sky had set down in front of him and quickly grabbed the spoon, readjusting himself to the real world. "Yes. Thank you, Sky."
She smiled back in response and started on her bowl so he did the same. Again it was very nice though the expensive taste sat heavy in his mouth, piercingly strong as a reminder of how much things had changed since the easy days of his childhood when he'd sit at the table with his mother, explaining all of his little robots and machines to her as she listened intently, just happy that he was happy.
"So, Sky," Jayce began, starting up a casual conversation, "You said you were down visiting your sister?"
"Ah— yes! But, um... please don't mention that to anyone else, I'm not exactly... supposed to." She chuckled nervously.
There was a resolute frown on Jayce's face. "Really? How come?"
"They don't really like us going back, even just to visit," Sky explained, gesturing to both herself and Viktor.
"The academy?" Jayce asked.
"The academy, the council, anyone with a say." Viktor replied, "Probably in an attempt to cut us off from any influence from home. We're the trenchers who have been deemed acceptable after all, so why risk that fact changing if we were to mix with the rest?"
"Gosh, that's... really sad," Jayce stated, staring wistfully at his bowl. "You're really not allowed to go back? Even to see your family?"
"I haven't seen my mother since I left." Viktor stated in response.
"I manage to sneak down every now and again to see my little sister, but even still I sometimes go months without seeing her," Sky added her own account.
"How is your sister? Did you see her?" Jayce asked with a desperate sort of investment.
"She's doing alright. As well as someone can do down there. Still working in the factory though." She sighed sadly. Viktor understood the frustration, it was difficult not to get roped into one of the long-hour jobs like the factory or the mines and it was even more difficult to watch someone you loved deteriorate as their work took more and more of them away.
Jayce seemed just slightly more cheerful. "How old is she?"
"Eleven now," Sky replied with a soft smile, no doubt at the thought of her dear sister.
"Eleven?! And she's working in a factory?!" Jayce exclaimed, dropping his spoon in his bowl with a clang.
"It's commonplace in the Undercity, Jayce," Viktor explained. "Some kids start as early as six."
"What about you two?!"
Viktor and Sky exchanged looks, silently discussing whether or not to indulge in this line of conversation and if they did; how much they were willing to divulge.
"I would work in the factory sometimes." Viktor spoke up, "They tried sending me to the mines a few times but that went about as well as you'd expect."
"I was mostly able to avoid work," Sky replied in turn, "I took up odd mechanical jobs around the undercity, fixing stuff for people."
"Wow..." was all Jayce was really able to say, though it was not an exclamation of amazement, more so shock, maybe disgust. "The Undercity is so different to Piltover, in more ways than I had even imagined."
That was certainly one way of putting it.
"Oh, Viktor! That reminds me!" Sky chimed in, suddenly sitting up just a little straighter. "While I was picking up the ingredients for the food, I bumped into a... pretty scary lady. She was asking after you."
Viktor wasn't sure if he was supposed to be pleased with that fact or angry about it, he had even less of an idea as to how he actually felt. "Who was it?" He still asked all the same.
"I'm not entirely sure." Sky admitted, "I did hear someone call her name but I wasn't really paying complete attention. I think it began with an 's' though?"
"Would it have perhaps been Sevika?" Viktor tried.
Sky's eyes lit up in recognition. "Yes! That sounds right."
"Sevika? Who's that? Do you know her, Viktor?" Jayce questioned with a rather sudden interest.
"Yes, I do. Or at least I did." He replied, considering adding more information but finding none that he could really put words to.
"Oh. She was that older girl you would hang around with when you were younger, wasn't she? The one that caved someone's skull in one time?" Sky mentioned, putting the pieces together.
"She also threw a knife at the head of a boy who tried to threaten me." Viktor felt it necessary to add.
"Oh. Wow." Jayce said with a slow nod.
"So, she was asking after me?" Viktor asked, turning to Sky. He had to admit his curiosity was piqued. He and Sevika hadn't parted on the best of terms, her seeing his departure to Piltover as a betrayal of sorts, so it surprised him to hear that she still at least thought of him.
"She could tell I had come from up here. She asked if I knew you and when I said yes, she asked how you were doing. I told her you were fine and she left it at that." Sky recalled.
Although it was a little disappointing that that was all that had been asked, he had to admit it was still a huge surprise that she'd asked about him at all. Maybe he'd follow in Sky's footsteps and embark on his own secret Undercity trip.
"What are these?" Jayce asked, bringing the conversation back to food as he pointed to the final plate Sky had brought to the table (literally).
"Oh, these are more of a dessert food but I saw them while going through the markets and I just had to pick some up." Sky chuckled, "They're called pryaniki and they're mostly made of flour and honey but sometimes they also include ingredients like ginger or cinnamon. My mother used to make them for me as a treat."
Jayce plucked one off the plate and after a quick examination, he took a nice big bite out of it. As he chewed his eyes lit up. "These are good." He said, still with a mouthful of food though the hand he placed over his mouth did mitigate any offence, not that Sky or Viktor were very particular about table manners.
The other two picked up their own pryaniki and began eating. Sky's face immediately melted into a smile. "Just how I remember."
It wasn't how Viktor remembered. Again, it was full of rich ingredients that a younger him wouldn't have even imagined being allowed to have. His mother had never been able to afford the ginger or cinnamon, using their incomes on more sensible purchases such as proper food and stashing the rest away in the savings for Viktor's academy uniform.
How ironic? That while his mother had skipped out on luxury in order to get him into the academy, he was now able to sit here with all the luxury he wanted while she was probably still slaving away at the factory, with no idea who her son had even been able to become thanks to the sacrifices that she'd made.
He wondered how she was doing. If she was even still alive, that was, though he tried not to think of the other possibility. Had she been able to escape her factory job or had she, more likely, remained and lost even more of her hearing to the loud crashes of the machines she worked with? Was she lonely? With no husband and now a son who had outright abandoned her, even if she had encouraged him to, there was no doubt she would feel alone. Had she met anyone else? Had any more kids? Or was she still in that sad little house with the broken door?
He had considered the idea of going back to visit home a few times but like Sky had said, it was forbidden.
However—
"Sky, do you plan on visiting the Undercity again anytime soon?" Viktor asked, having placed his food back down on his plate, too focused on his thoughts.
"Well, I hadn't necessarily planned to." She said, "But that doesn't mean I won't. Why? Is there anything you'd like me to pick up for you?"
"I was wondering if next time I could accompany you. I haven't seen my mother since I left for Piltover and... I'd like to check up on her."
"Of course!" Sky said, a little quick. "We could go next week? There's a period of time in the evening when the Enforcers trade shifts, usually its longest on a Thursday. It would give us plenty of time to slip across the bridge."
"Perfect."
"Would you mind if I tagged along?" Jayce asked, surprising both of them. Viktor had never expected a Pilitie to even want to step foot in the Undercity and honestly, he didn't blame them. But well, Jayce was different after all.
"Um... Yeah! I mean— I don't mind! Yes, you can come! That's fine." Sky fumbled, mind still catching up to Jayce's question.
"Great, thank you." Jayce smiled, "I haven't had a chance to properly visit the Undercity, and what better way to do so than with two natives."
"Two natives who can keep you from getting scammed. You are painfully bad at haggling, Jayce." Viktor scoffed.
Jayce rolled his eyes at the jab but brushed it off. "So, that's it settled. Meet here Thursday at... nine? That gives us plenty of time to prepare and head down to the bridge."
"Yep!" Sky affirmed.
Viktor shrugged. "Sounds like a plan."