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White light blinds him, and Jayce can only feel Viktor’s hand on his arm for an instant more before he ceases to feel anything at all.
Jayce comes to with a ringing in his ears. It doesn’t make sense, but he swears he hears the faint chipping of a bird. The more he focuses, the more he notices about the world around him. Warm sunlight and the chill of morning dew on his skin. The smell of grass and small rocks digging into his side. Fingers loosely draped over his arm, a soft breath on his cheek. A soft breath on his cheek.
With a start, Jayce’s eyes fly open. Viktor’s face is mere inches away. His eyes are closed, Viktor’s sharp features relaxed.
Jayce sucks in a breath. He raises his hand to Viktor’s arm, lets it ghost over Viktor’s clothed shoulder. It feels real, but how can he be sure it is? Maybe this is a sick fantasy Jayce’s mind is playing on him while he tries to make peace with his last moments.
There’s really only way to know; test the boundaries of this place. Jayce is a scientist after all.
He sits up slowly fighting off the dizziness, finally looking at their surroundings. They’re in a meadow, small flowers dotting the grass. He sees houses far off in the distance. Other than that, they are utterly alone here.
A hand closes around his wrist. Jayce jolts away, terror coursing through him. He’s searching for those uncanny beings before his mind catches up and he realizes it’s Viktor. Viktor tries withdrawing his hand, but Jayce seizes it, clasping Viktor’s hand in his own.
He helps Viktor sit up, his eyes never leaving Viktor’s. For a moment nothing happens, as if frozen in time. Then, Jayce surges forward, catching Viktor in an embrace. Viktor doesn’t hesitate to return the hug. Jayce can feel the way Viktor’s arms are trembling as he clutches Jayce.
Neither speak. Jayce tightens his grips around Viktor and he begins to sob in his partner’s neck.
“Jayce,” Viktor says, his voice is full of anguish.
He lets Jayce’s tears run their course. Viktor says nothing other than Jayce’s name. He murmurs it softly in Jayce’s ear while his hands slide up and down Jayce’s back. His hands. His human hands.
Jayce slowly untangles himself from Viktor to study him. All traces of his metallic purple body are gone, leaving flesh in its wake.
Viktor seems to notice when Jayce does. He looks at his own hands then back up at Jayce. A small smile breaks out on his face, and Jayce laughs. The sound is unfamiliar to both of them.
Jayce looks around the meadow again.
“Were are we?” Jayce asks.
“We’re alive,” Viktor breathes.
“I didn’t think—”
“—Neither did I. I suppose it sent us to—”
“—Another timeline? Universe?”
“Hard to say,” Viktor murmurs. Jayce realizes Viktor hasn’t even looked around. Viktor’s gaze has never strayed from Jayce.
Before Jayce can suggest they make their way to the town he saw, Viktor speaks again.
“Jayce, everything you said,” Viktor trails off.
“I meant it, every word.” Jayce takes Viktor’s hands in his again. “You’re my partner, Viktor. I love you.”
Viktor turns his head finally surveying their surroundings. Jayce waits until he’s ready to talk again.
“I’m sorry. I almost destroyed the world. I almost got you killed. From the looks of it, you weren’t much better off,” Viktor says, reaching up to caress Jayce’s cheek. Jayce closes his eyes and leans into the touch.
“I’m sorry too. I overshadowed you and I didn’t listen to you.”
“One of us certainly has more to apologize for than the other,” Viktor jokes.
Jayce chuckles softly. “I still am sorry.”
“I know. And Jayce?”
“Yeah?”
“You’re everything to me, too.”
Jayce smiles, threading their fingers together.
“What do you say we try to get to that town by nightfall?” Jayce says, gesturing with his free hand up to the sky.
Viktor nods. “First, I need a cane.”
Viktor’s eyes drift down to the brace on Jayce’s leg. “It seems you do as well.”
They find some small sturdy branches nearby, almost like the universe knew they would need them.
Viktor gets to his feet first and helps Jayce up. Viktor doesn’t let go of Jayce’s hand as they make their way toward the village.
They manage to reach the village as the last rays of light are slipping away. Jayce asks for directions to an inn.
By the time they get there, the sun has gone and Jayce wants nothing more than to sleep. His body aches and he’s sure he has a few splinters in his hand.
Viktor looks equally exhausted, so it doesn’t dawn on them until they’re at the inn that they don’t have any money.
The innkeeper takes pity on them, telling them not to worry about it, they can discuss how to make up for it tomorrow.
They’re pointed to the cheapest room available. There’s nothing in it save for a single bed in the corner and a lantern on the nightstand, but neither of them care.
Jayce peels his jacket off and Viktor unbuttons his vest. They end up in their undershirts and pants and call it good enough.
Jayce collapses face first onto the bed. He rolls over to make room for Viktor.
Viktor lays on top of the covers with Jayce, both facing each other on their sides
“I missed you,” Jayce whispers.
“So did I,” Viktor says. He cups Jayce’s cheek with his hand. “I was…happy, almost, when I had you in that place to join my army. I just wanted to be with you. But I knew you wouldn’t be you. Not really. Eventually you would blend in with all the others and I’d lose you more than I already had.”
“You have me now. And I’m not going anywhere,” Jayce promises, pressing a kiss to Viktor’s palm.
Viktor tilts his head forward until their foreheads bump together.
Viktor shifts back so he can see Jayce’s face. “Thank you,” he says.
Despite their exhaustion, they remain awake, both needing the time to just be in the same room. In the dim light they can see each other just enough.
Viktor has tangled their legs together and Jayce’s hand has been running along Viktor’s skin since nearly the moment they were laying down.
“I thought I’d never see your face again,” Jayce admits while he traces the bridge of Viktor’s nose
“You almost didn’t.”
Jayce shuts his eyes and his eyebrows furrow. When he looks at Viktor again his eyes are sad.
“I know,” he says.
“I don’t know where we are,” Viktor says. “But I don’t think we’re in our timeline anymore. When you were looking for the inn I asked someone about Hextech. They looked at me like I was speaking nonsense, which, I guess I am if there’s no Hextech here.” Viktor sighs. “I can’t help but wish it were here. We did want to help people. We could have.”
“Me too,” Jayce says.
“At least that means we’re safe here, no?”
“That’s true,” Jayce says, but he can’t help the heavy feeling that has settled in his chest. It was his life’s work. His life’s work, gone. He supposes it can’t really be gone if it never existed in the first place.
“I know,” Viktor says as if he knows what Jayce is feeling.
Jayce’s fingers brush over Viktor’s lips. Viktor catches his hand, stilling it long enough to kiss.
Viktor combs his hand through Jayce’s overgrown hair.
“Maybe we were meant to end up here. Maybe this is a chance for us to live our lives free of Hextech.”
“Together?” Jayce asks after a pause.
“Together,” Viktor confirms. “We are partners, after all.”
“Partners,” Jayce repeats with a grin.
Jayce’s hand stills on his path up Viktor’s neck, pausing where his neck meets his jaw.
Jayce looks up at Viktor, a question in his eyes. Viktor kisses him before he can hesitate any more.
Jayce returns it eagerly and Viktor laughs.
“I would’ve done that earlier if I’d known—”
“Took you long enough,” Viktor teases. “I wasn’t subtle.”
“We’ll just have to make up for lost time then, won’t we?”
“That’s a lot of lost time,” Viktor says. He can’t help the grin on his face.
“Then we should get started as soon as we can,” Jayce says before kissing him again.
Viktor hums his approval. He can feel Jayce grin against his mouth.