Chapter Text
A young boy, just over ten years old, was crouching on the cobblestone street, his hands smudged with grease as he carefully assembled a small device from metal scraps. He was so engrossed in his work that he didn’t notice the figure approaching, a man in his late thirties. The expression on the man's face was a mixture of recognition, warmth and curiosity.
“I’ve seen that look before... you have a talent for invention, don’t you?”
The boy looked up, surprised by the voice. He was used to people ignoring him or dismissing his creations, but this man seemed genuinely interested. He studied him for a moment before speaking, a bit guarded: “I’m just... fixing something.”
The man smiled warmly and crouched down next to him, his eyes looking over the crude device the boy was piecing together.
“A bit more than just fixing, I’d say. You’re creating something new. I used to do the same when I was your age.”
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The workshop was littered with parts and pieces in a makeshift space filled with the remnants of various projects. Scattered across the floor were scraps of metal, discarded wood, and piles of old tools. They were worn-out, crude tools, made out of scrap materials that had been found lying about, often straight from trash piles. Some people threw out perfectly reusable materials.
Topside people.
“Could you hand me the screwdriver, please, Viktor?” Jayce held out his hand, eyes locked on his project.
A young, skinny boy handed him the item.
“Thanks,” Jayce replied, his voice soft. He continued his work. “Alright,” he said after a moment, leaning back, “this is a start, but we need to refine it. It’s too heavy, too bulky. We need something practical, but also efficient. Something compact, versatile.”
Viktor looked over the prototype, then his eyes went back to his sketches, his mind racing with ideas. He picked up a metal piece and turned it in his small hands. “The weight is a problem, but we can use lighter alloys for the frame. If we use a layered design, it could be sturdy but still light enough for mobility.”
Jayce nodded. “Good idea. And we can use modular sections, each pouch can be customized for different tools or devices. It’ll give more flexibility.”
Viktor’s eyes lit up as he added more notes to his sketch, writing down ideas for compartments and a strap system that could distribute weight evenly.
Lying on the workbench in front of them was the prototype of a belt, a utility belt to be precise. It had been commissioned by the local factory owner, who had requested a personalised belt to keep all his tools in. Jayce was glad to have gotten the job; they needed the money. Rent was due and he wanted to be able to continue affording pain medicine for Viktor.
It had been over three months that they were occupying the small space.
Truth be told, it wasn’t much. Litter was strewn across the street and the building they lived in was old, crumbling, and covered in graffiti. Definitely a far cry from the stylish, durable infrastructure he had gotten used to in the better part of Piltover, but at least the landlady didn’t ask questions and it was in a safer part of the undercity, away from the crime and the shimmer and the chemical gases.
In the beginning it had been anything but easy. With a slight tinge of shame, he recalled having to steal food at times – he could forego food for a few days, but refused to let Viktor starve. The kid deserved better, he hadn’t asked for any of the hardships that plagued him.
Jayce sometimes still had trouble reconciling the image of his partner, whom he had only known as an adult, with the scrawny kid next to him.
Viktor was a bit shy, a common trait among children, but also inquisitive and intelligent – that much had been apparent from the start. For someone so young he had also proven himself to be surprisingly understanding, calm and mature. Perhaps too mature. Children shouldn’t have to grow up that fast.
He had recognized Viktor the moment he’d laid eyes on him. By luck he’d stumbled upon him as he was patrolling the streets of the undercity, searching but not knowing exactly what to look for. The young child had been so absorbed by the device in his hands, that he hadn’t noticed Jayce at first.
And Jayce had taken a minute to simply watch, part of him being feeling overwhelmed by the sight of his partner alive again and studying Viktor’s juvenile features, and another more rational part knowing that this was another version of Viktor. This wasn’t the Viktor that he knew, but it was nevertheless still Viktor.
Jayce had been able to convince him to stick around, having promised young Viktor to teach him about engineering and science, and he’d sworn to himself that he would help his partner get a better start in life.
The first step had been to move to an area where they could avoid the toxic fumes from the factories as much as possible: a task which had proven challenging, even for someone as resourceful as Jayce. The undercity was a harsh place, lacking adequate public services, proper infrastructure, and with limited access to healthcare or quality education. The circumstances weren't easy for the people living here.
Thankfully Jayce had been able to use his skills as a toolmaker and former politician to ensure a proper living place for him and Viktor, a place where Viktor could breathe relatively clean air and enjoy better development.
He could still see how run-down and weak the Viktor of his own timeline had looked, ill with a terminal disease likely caused by bad air quality. He’d make sure to avoid a similar fate, whatever it took.
Jayce included Viktor in his work, the child eager to learn and design tools of his own. He had to admit it: Viktor impressed him. Even as a kid his mind was already sharp and analytical, picking up processes quickly and making them his own. In an odd sense they were working together again as partners, although the age difference alone was in the decades, not to speak of the difference in general life experience. Still, Jayce was also learning a lot by living in the undercity and conversing with young Viktor, so it was a two-way street.
Having ended up in a timeline where his own younger self had perished, Jayce hadn’t known what to do at first. Everyone he knew was either very young, not present, or was… Heimerdinger.
For a second he did consider seeking out his former mentor, but then decided to wait and figure out a plan. Heimerdinger would likely not want him to alter the timeline too much, for fear of breaking a space-time continuum or something of the sort.
Or he might insist that Jayce return to his own timeline, even though Jayce had no reason to do so.
The Viktor that Jayce had known was, unfortunately, no longer. He had taken their technology too far, perversed their dream and Jayce had seen no other choice but to… end it.
God, that still hurt.
He knew that both of them had strayed, neither of them had been perfect and they’d both made mistakes, but Jayce was determined to set things right this time around.
The device he’d built with Ekko’s help, had done what it was made to do.
When he’d first figured out that his younger self had died in this timeline, his first thought had been that he'd messed up, going back too far. Being too early to seek out anyone he already knew - he was already nearing his forties – he decided to at least try to seek out the younger version of his partner. The younger, innocent and untainted version of Viktor. Still human.
It hurt, in a bittersweet way. The child Viktor before him didn’t know Jayce, didn’t share any of the experiences that shaped his older self. To young Viktor, Jayce was nothing more than a kind stranger, someone who had offered help and taken him in.
Yet at the same time, it also presented an opportunity: Viktor was a blank slate, a fresh beginning. With his knowledge of Viktor’s future, of the struggles, the ambitions, the man he would become, Jayce saw a chance to rewrite the story, to give this version of Viktor the life he deserved. To do better. To help him grow up properly. To have him grow old.
If only he could offer Viktor a different future, a better life, Jayce knew, deep down, that it would be enough for him.
The young boy had the same leg issue, but Jayce hoped that with his help his condition might improve. He’d already crafted a brace for him, to offer him sufficient support and to try keeping his frame in line as much as possible, but it wasn’t enough. He needed more money to be able to afford surgery for him, and he didn’t trust any of the so-called doctors from the undercity, nor the lacking medical and hygiene standards of the place.
He needed to get back to the better part of Piltover, but wasn’t sure how to. In this timeline, he didn’t have an official identity. Jayce Talis and his mother had died, their commodities lost, and Jayce was now simply an anonymous soul in Piltover’s undercity, just like so many others. Perhaps he should seek out Heimerdinger after all? He needed a story.
“Is this okay?” a high-pitched, accented inquiry woke him up from his musings. Young Viktor was watching his work table with big, interested eyes and held out a specific part that Jayce had asked him to prepare for the utility belt.
Jayce took the piece with a smile, turning it over in his hand to examine the fine craftsmanship. The work was flawless, the details almost perfect. Once again, Viktor had proven his exceptional talent. Jayce didn’t hesitate to voice his admiration.
“This is excellent, Viktor. You’ve outdone yourself.”
The young boy’s face lit up and a proud smile spread across his face.
“We just need to do the remaining parts,” Jayce explained. “When that’s done, we can start attaching everything to the belt.”
“Do you think I can help with the rest?”
“Of course!” Jayce replied, his voice warm with encouragement. Without a second thought, Viktor quickly sat down next to him at the workbench, leaning the brace Jayce had crafted for him against the table.
For several hours, they worked side by side, making steady progress on the utility belt. They worked in perfect sync, each focused on their work, and the atmosphere was relaxed and productive. Jayce would give simple, clear instructions, and Viktor, glad to prove his growing skill, always understood with ease. When faced with a challenge, Viktor preferred to wrestle with the solution on his own first, enjoying the process of figuring things out before asking for help.
Like many curious kids with an inherent love for engineering, Viktor had in his free time taken apart broken toys and household objects, often thrown away by topsiders, to understand how they functioned and then attempted to repair or improve them. He’d enthusiastically tell Jayce about the time he’d made a small water pump, and Jayce had been very impressed by the toy he’d created that was powered by a clockwork mechanism. Thanks to his analytical brain and inventive nature, Jayce only had to explain things once or twice before Viktor grasped a new concept.
In a way, working alongside another version of his partner made Jayce yearn for the days of his past lifetime, a time of days spent in the lab brainstorming and making hypotheses, and late nights performing tests, the wonderful years they’d spent in their partnership, both driven by their dream to change the world.
It had been the best time of his life.
Before they'd begun to drift apart, before Jayce had become distracted by politics and ego and -
He wouldn’t make the same mistakes again.
This time, he’d set things right. For Viktor.