Work Text:
Jayce stared at Viktor's body on the table, dropping the heavy metal tongs to the lab floor, and rushed to Viktor's side. He cupped Viktor's battered face gently, his thumb brushing over his parted lips to feel his shallow breath against his thumbpad. Jayce quickly dropped his head to press his ear against Viktor's chest, letting out a choked sigh of relief when he heard Viktor's steady heartbeat.
Jayce felt around for Viktor's pale hand on the table and curled his trembling fingers around his, sinking to his knees beside the table as the adrenaline began to wear off, tiredness seeping into his limbs and mind. He pressed his forehead against the edge of the table and closed his eyes, squeezing Viktor's hand tightly.
Images flashed in his mind -- Mel thankfully unscathed in front of him, her hands gripping his biceps tightly, Shoola walking out of the dust clouds injured and dazed, Bolbok and Hoskel's unmoving bodies, Salo's agonized cries as an enforcer tried to save him from being crushed, Cassandra's unseeing blue eyes staring past him as he shook her to try and rouse her.
Viktor's seemingly lifeless body among the rubble.
Jayce gripped Viktor's hand impossibly tighter, bringing his cold fingers to his cheek, and let himself give into exhaustion.
×××
When he was found, Jayce was still on his knees on the floor next to the table. He woke suddenly to someone shaking his shoulder gently, sitting up as quickly as he could on numb legs to see if it was Viktor. Jayce felt a rush of disappointment fill him when he saw that Viktor was still unconscious and turned his head to find Mel behind him.
Mel looked down at him quietly with soft eyes, moving her hand from his shoulder to cup his cheeks gently. She had cleaned herself up from the blast, making Jayce question how long he had been on the floor before she found him. She was holding Viktor's crutch in her other hand, having been left behind in Jayce's rush to get Viktor to the lab, and Jayce's eyes instantly shifted to it, chest tightening. Jayce swiftly took the crutch from her and Mel settled down to sit next to him on the floor. Jayce kept his fingers locked with Viktor's as he leaned over to curl up on his side, head resting on Mel's thighs as he sought her comfort.
Jayce held Viktor's crutch tightly to his chest, the fingers of his unoccupied hand running along it for any signs of extensive damage from the explosion. The metal was scratched and slightly dented and the gold and maroon pieces Jayce had added to match the shoulder pieces on his jacket were a little damaged but it was nothing that Jayce couldn't fix for him. He had been the one to make the crutch for Viktor -- a sort of apology gift for the snapped cane from when they had broken into Heimerdinger's lab all those years ago when they had first met.
"How many dead?" Jayce asked, Cassandra's eyes burning into his mind.
"Three," Mel answered. "Kiramman, Bolbok, and Hoskel...Shoola has minor injuries and Salo is believed to be paralyzed from the waist down." One of her hands moved to rub Jayce's tense shoulder and back, trying to be soothing. "Is he---" Mel started, fingers combing bits of debris out of his hair, but Jayce swiftly cut her off.
"Dead? No, I don't think so..." Jayce murmured, watching his thumb as he swiped it over Viktor's knuckles. "He's breathing. He has a pulse...I used the Hexcore. He...Viktor wanted me to destroy it but when I brought him here, it seemed to be...reacting to Viktor and his injuries...I think it's the only thing keeping him alive right now." He finally noticed a strange multicolored webbing-like substance spreading along the table, starting to creep over Viktor's legs. "It's like it's...protecting him. Healing him."
Mel stroked his head. "Viktor will be okay," she murmured. "You helped him...So now it should be the time for you to be helped." One of her fingers stroked the scar splitting his eyebrow. "You haven't been looked at by the doctors yet."
"I'm fine," Jayce replied. "I'm not leaving him."
"Jayce..." Mel said gently.
"Viktor was right next to me," Jayce said. "He was right next to me and I'm just sitting here completely fine and he's---" He gripped Viktor's crutch tightly, knuckles whitening, and his eyes burned with the threat of tears.
"We don't know for sure you're not somehow injured, Jayce, until you have the doctors look at you. You're running on nothing but adrenaline," Mel murmured, moving her hand down to Jayce's clenched fist, trying to coax him into loosening his grip. "You won't have to leave him for long."
Jayce closed his eyes tightly. "I can't."
They argued with Jayce continuing to refuse medical attention and Mel continuing to push the matter. He finally caved when Mel offered to have the doctor examine Jayce in the hallway outside of the lab, close enough to Viktor so that he wouldn't feel like he was leaving him for too long.
He sat on the floor while he waited for Mel to return, continuing to hold Viktor's crutch tightly to his chest, fingers still linked. Jayce hesitated to hand the crutch back over to Mel when she returned, telling him that a doctor was waiting in the hallway for him, and nodded stiffly when she reassured him that she would sit with Viktor while Jayce was in the hallway.
Mel caught him as he swayed when she pulled him up to his feet, legs still pins and needles, and he leaned into her touch as she cupped his jaw. She gently began to ease the crutch out of his hand and Jayce reluctantly let her take it from him as he let go of Viktor's hand, allowing her to guide him towards the doors of the lab where the doctor was waiting for him outside.
Jayce stayed as close to the doors as possible as the doctor looked him over, answering any questions asked of him shortly. He itched to get back to Viktor. He needed to be by his side.
And just as he thought, the doctor found no injuries on him besides for the ringing in his ears, telling him how fortunate he was considering where he was located when the blast occurred. They let him go, telling him to rest, and that if anything changed, that he was to find them right away. He rushed back into the lab, returning to Viktor's side.
×××
Jayce spent his every waking moment pouring over Viktor's notes, studying all that he had written about the Hexcore and the changes that had happened to Viktor's body from his experiments with it. He kept himself holed up in the lab, missing Cassandra's funeral and refusing to see anyone who would try to lure him out. Mel was the only one who he would allow in, giving in to her gentle demands on eating and sleeping when he could no longer force back the hunger gnawing at his belly and the exhaustion clouding his brain.
A protective cocoon-like case had surrounded Viktor on the table, leaving only his face exposed and allowing Jayce to situate the table upright so he could observe what was potentially happening within the substance. It reacted to him coming near, seemingly reaching out to him. He had erased all of the previous writings he and Viktor had made on the chalkboard, beginning to chart out his observations and Viktor's.
His hand moved seemingly without his brain thinking, scribbling out runic patterns, messy notes, and charts. Jayce copied the diagram Viktor had made of his own body, adding the notes that he had written about his leg, and only stopped his manic writing when he realized what he had been drawing.
Jayce's tired eyes traced over the added details of Viktor's hair and cheekbones on his drawing -- details that Viktor himself hadn't bothered to add to his own diagrams. His forehead bumped against the chalkboard as he leaned his head forward, eyes slipping shut. He forced himself to step away from the chalkboard after a moment, slumping into a nearby stool as he looked up at his writing once more.
Jayce turned away from the chalkboard once he could no longer stand to look at his work, turning his back to it. He laid his chin on his crossed arms and watched the glowing protection surrounding Viktor.
×××
Most nights Jayce would work himself until he passed out from sheer exhaustion, whether at his workbench or slumped in front of the chalkboard. It grew rare that he would sleep in Mel's bed, refusing to follow after her when she asked, and his own chambers had become a distant memory.
Some nights, though, when he was still somewhat alert, he would grab the oversized blue blanket that he kept in the lab and sit at Viktor's feet. Sometimes he would talk to him, telling Viktor about his day and acting almost as if nothing had happened. Sometimes he sat before him in silence, staring at his uncovered face.
The lab floor was cold and uncomfortable as he curled up on his side to sleep, blanket pulled tightly around him, but at least Viktor was close to him.
×××
He was tainting his and Viktor's dream.
With each swing of the hammer, Jayce could feel the motion pulling at the wound across his back, the slight pricks of pain and the heat from the fire grounding him and keeping him focused.
Viktor had never wanted to turn Hextech into weapons, especially weapons that would be used against the people of the Undercity.
But the attack on the memorial had proved to him that Hextech weaponry was necessary to deal with the beginning war between Piltover and Zaun. He would have been dead if it weren't for Vi wielding his Mercury Hammer coming to his rescue.
It had started with him repairing the Atlas Gauntlets after his conversation with Caitlyn, fixing anything that was broken and cleaning the red-violet and powder blue paint from them. Caitlyn had said something about asking Vi to become an enforcer and Vi had taken a liking to the gauntlets so they would be ready for her whenever needed.
After the attack, Caitlyn and Jayce had hastily planned something new out, his back and shoulder still bloody and untreated as he scribbled messy blueprints on the first piece of loose paper he could find. As soon as he had seen a doctor and gotten back to the lab, he made the proper blueprints before heading to the forge.
He was tainting their dream but he rationalized that this was for the greater good.
Jayce hoped Viktor would understand.
×××
He was dreaming that he was floating, Heimerdinger's lab illuminated in blue light around him. Viktor was floating in front of him, an orb of blue light and energy coming off of the Hex crystal rising between them. The doors had been busted down, Heimerdinger and enforcers staring up at them, but neither of them cared about any potential consequences of their break-in, too distracted by the beauty of their successful creation.
A stray cog floated in front of him, directly between Jayce and the Hex crystal. He couldn't help the wide grin splitting his face, chuckling to himself as he stretched a hand out towards the cog. He bumped it with his finger, sending it towards the crystal, and the crystal pulled the cog into itself, making it disappear momentarily.
The cog shot out on the other side of Hex crystal and glided towards Viktor, who plucked it out of the air. His golden eyes widened as he held it and he looked up at Jayce quickly, mirroring his excited grin as he moved himself through the air.
"Jayce...?"
Jayce startled again at the sound of his name, breathing heavily. He turned, placing a hand over his wounded shoulder at the twinge of pain, and his eyes widened, darting as he took in the sight before him. "Viktor?"
Viktor was standing in front of him, stabilizing himself on his crutch. Every part of him but his face was a gray color, purple light illuminating from seemingly inside his body. His back brace appeared to have fused into his body and brought out the other gold pieces that Jayce could see littered throughout other parts of his body. His hair was damp and Viktor appeared to look absolutely exhausted.
Jayce blinked hard, barely able to comprehend that Viktor was standing in front of him, uninjured and appearing healthier than he had been in years. "My God..." he whispered half to himself.
Viktor looked down at one of his hands. "What...am I?" he asked, a strange tone and echo to his voice.
"You're..." Jayce couldn't help but smile. "You're alive..." He chuckled shakily, beginning to finally process things , and shot up from his stool. "You're -- You're alive!"
He practically threw himself at Viktor, wrapping his arms around his shoulders tightly as Viktor stumbled, and he pressed his face into Viktor's neck. He felt Viktor stiffen against him, his free arm trapped between them, but after a moment, he wrapped it around Jayce's side, cool fingertips touching the upper portion of his back where the bandages didn't touch lightly.
Jayce never wanted to let him go, squeezing Viktor tighter as his eyes burned with the threat of tears, and Viktor kept his hand between Jayce's shoulder blades, adjusting his chin slightly against Jayce's shoulder. He let the moment drag on, eyes closed in contentment as they stood there in silence, but forced himself to snap out of it when he couldn't feel the usual warmth radiating off of Viktor.
"Oh!" he said as he grabbed his shoulders, accidentally shaking him slightly in the process . "Uh, you must be cold."
Viktor's brows furrowed in confusion as Jayce pulled eyes, eyes narrowing slightly. "Cold..." he echoed almost confusedly, that strange tone to his voice. "No, I don't think so..." He stared up at Jayce with pale and colorless eyes as he came back with the blue blanket, wrapping it protectively around Viktor's slim shoulders. "I sense a... charge," he murmured as Jayce pulled the ends of the blanket together at Viktor's front, running his hands along his biceps to smooth out any folds. He kept his hands on Viktor as his eyes flicked around the lab. "A potential. A recursive impulse. Unpleasant but..." He turned his head away from Jayce. "Cold isn't its name."
Jayce followed Viktor's gaze to the table where Viktor had been cocooned , the shape of his body left in the webbing. He turned his head back to him quickly, brows pinching further together.
"The Hexcore," he said, frowning.
"Viktor, it saved you!" Jayce said, gesturing towards the multicolored chrysalis. "Somehow it -- it adapted to your injuries, changing and evolving." He began to pace as he tried to explain his findings to Viktor, hoping he would understand his reasoning for not getting rid of the Hexcore. "It was as if it was connected to you." He turned to his desk, grabbing some papers off it to show to Viktor, who was staring down at one of his hands, humming quietly to himself. "I did my best using the notes from your leg," he explained. "Recorded everything. There are still so many questions but---"
"I was supposed to die," Viktor said abruptly as he curled his fingers into his palm, cutting Jayce off. He stared at Jayce with an almost accusatory expression. "You promised to destroy the Hexcore."
"No," Jayce said gently, shaking his head. "Don't you see? Heimerdinger was wrong. We were wrong. It's not as bad as we---"
"It killed Sky, Jayce..."
Jayce stared at Viktor. "What...?" he asked softly. He knew that their lab assistant hadn't been around lately but he thought that maybe that was Viktor's doing somehow since Jayce had been so caught up with councilor meetings. "No..."
"She had such dreams..." Viktor murmured, gazing past Jayce towards the desk before turning his eyes back to him after a moment. "As did we once," he added, walking towards the desk.
Jayce stepped out of his way, watching as Viktor set his hand on a green journal. He had gone through thinking it was Viktor's but quickly learned that it had belonged to Sky, giving him nothing.
"I'm going to resign from the Council," he blurted out, walking up behind Viktor. "I understand now. My place was always here in the lab with you." He wrapped his arm around Viktor's shoulder again, pulling him tightly against his side. "We'll make this right. Together."
He watched Viktor's face closely as he talked, Viktor's colorless eyes staring back at him from their corners as he looked up from what was lying on the desk. Jayce was a little taken aback as he watched Viktor's face contort slightly, an expression of seeming disgust filling his eyes , and when he looked down at the desk himself, he realized that he had unearthed the blueprints for the improved Atlas Gauntlets and the new Hextech rifle he had made for Caitlyn from where they had been buried under his notes.
Viktor was silent, running his hand over Sky's journal, and before Jayce could explain the blueprints, Viktor turned his grasp, forcing Jayce to let him go. "I must say goodbye to this place now..." he said, back turned to Jayce as he headed for the lab doors. "To you..."
Jayce turned quickly. "Goodbye?" he asked in disbelief, following after him. "Viktor, you're my partner."
Viktor stopped, slowly turning himself around. "Our paths diverged long ago," he murmured, refusing to look at Jayce. "It was... affection... that held us together."
Jayce couldn't help the start of anger in his chest. He had done all that he could to save Viktor and make sure that he lived and he was just leaving him? "You think it's so easy?" he asked. "To turn your back while your city looks to you for salvation?" Viktor kept his head bowed as Jayce got closer to him, eyes closed as he took Jayce's blooming anger. "To cling to principles while your best friend bleeds out in your arms?" His vision blurred and he forced the urge to cry in frustration back. "I never asked for this!"
Viktor remained silent and still, appearing unfazed by Jayce's emotions. He turned his back on him again, continuing to head for the doors.
"Where are you going?" Jayce demanded, fingers curled tightly into fists to suppress an outburst.
Viktor stopped again, turning his head slowly to finally look at Jayce, who looked back at him, hand raising slightly upwards as though he thought Viktor had somewhat changed his mind and wasn't leaving him.
"Goodbye, Jayce."
×××
Jayce waited by the doors, watching the daylight slip away as night neared. He paced when he needed to move, fiddling with his bracelet. He couldn't eat, guilt and anger turning his stomach at the thought.
Viktor would come back.
Viktor would come back and Jayce would be able to apologize to him.
The lab floor was even more unforgiving without a blanket.
Viktor didn't come back.
×××
What have we done?
×××
Jayce collapsed to one knee, gripping the handle of the changed Mercury Hammer tightly. It was splattered with Salo's blood, making it look like a crimson-stained butterfly. His breath clouded around him as he panted and he struggled to get himself back on two feet, lifting the hammer from Salo's body.
A rush of pain filled him, making his head spin as he caught sight of the silver marks of Viktor's fingertips on Salo's face, and he staggered, covering his eyes. Images of those things filled his head and his knuckles went white around the handle of the hammer .
Come. Visit me.
Jayce let his hand slide down his face as he returned his gaze to Salo's face, watching as his inhuman eyes darkened and his blood spread out along the glass flooring. He could feel his skin prickle , the crystal from his bracelet now embedded in his left wrist itching, as he stared into those eyes.
It felt like Viktor was still watching him -- still lurking somewhere in Salo's body.
Come. Visit me.
Jayce could feel a pull deep in his chest, like a tether trying to lead him somewhere. He righted himself completely, picking the hammer up from the floor.
Come. Visit me.
He was going to find Viktor.
×××
I won't fail.
The waves of pain grew worse the further he made his way into the commune, making him drop his hammer and stumble or grab his head in agony. He stopped worrying about keeping himself concealed, marching start towards where the pull was leading him.
Pain blinded him as another wave crashed through him. Jayce felt hands try to grab him as he staggered and he quickly shoved them off of him, rage pulsing inside of him. Visions of those things swarmed his vision and he held the handle of his hammer increasingly tighter, turning abruptly and opening the wings of it as he aimed.
Before him sat a child, staring up at him innocently with pale blue eyes. Jayce hesitated, mind racing with memories of the red-headed child from the Undercity who he had caused the death of. He disengaged the hammer, dropping the end of it to the dirt, and let out the breath he was holding, trying to calm his racing heart.
The child looked up at him for a long moment before a smile slowly spread across their face. They slowly raised their hand up to him, offering it, and Jayce trembled as he stared at it. He hesitantly gave the child his hand, helping them to their feet, and the child wrapped their hand around his pinkie and ring fingers tightly, beginning to shepherd him through the commune.
Jayce followed behind them slowly, letting them pull him at different times, as his eyes swept along the commune, taking in the various people and buildings. His skin prickled the further they walked, wrist burning, and soon the child stopped them in front of a spherical building . They looked up at Jayce with their big eyes, smiling up at him one last time before letting go of his hand.
Jayce glanced around the entryway for a moment, turning to look over his shoulder at the commune again, and stepped inside. It was silent, the sounds of footsteps echoing off the rigid walls, and Jayce felt on edge the further he went inside.
He stopped in his tracks when he saw him, eyes widening in disbelief.
Viktor was floating above him, crosslegged with that blue blanket draped around his waist. His hair had grown longer, reaching his shoulders and streaked with white. He was connected to the walls and ceiling through glowing tendrils, eyes closed in concentration as his thumb stroked over something in one of his hands. His only movements were slight twitches of his brow or a quirk of his mouth.
Jayce allowed himself to stare for a moment longer before he forced himself to aim the hammer at Viktor, adjusting his feet on the ground.
As if he sensed it, Viktor's eyes slowly opened, narrowing slightly before they widened once he saw Jayce in front of him.
Jayce pushed the handle on the hammer forward, opening the wings as he engaged the weapon with his eyes still on Viktor.
I won't fail. I swear it.
He ducked his head as pain seized his head again, forcing himself to keep steady. He could feel Viktor's eyes on him, the silence from him worsening the pain Jayce felt, and he kept his head lowered then with eyes squeezed shut, suddenly unable to look Viktor in the face.
Jayce forced himself to fire before he could stop himself from doing it, hearing the blast as it shot through Viktor and the ceiling of the building. He kept them shut for what felt like an eternity before he made himself open them.
Viktor was on the floor now, slumped against the back wall of the building. He was still silent as he looked up at Jayce, blown apart chest rising and falling shakily as he took his last breaths.
Jayce couldn't force down the wave of grief that tried to drown him as Viktor's eyes fell closed and collapsed to his knees. Viktor's occupied hand fell to the ground beside him and Jayce watched as a cog fell out of his palm, rolling along the ground towards him. One side was tainted with the multicolored infection while the other side remained clean.
He reached for it with a shaky hand once he felt able to move but stopped as the sounds of gasps and screams rang through his dead as the people of the commune died around him.
Jayce forced himself to stand, grabbing the cog from the ground, and ran as the screaming grew louder.