Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“What’s that?” Jinx asked from the side of the bar she wasn’t supposed to stand on.

“A journal.” Viktor said, idly flipping a page.

“Whose journal? Yours?” Definitely not his. It was too nice. Jinx had a sketchbook made of old menus, all carefully painted over to provide blank canvases.

(As if Silco thought one day she might like to try a still life or figure drawings contained within the rectangular space, and not want to splash it all over the Undercity with all the color she could get her scrappy little hands on.)

“A man from topside, a student.” Viktor’s eyes lingered over a line in the journal, a note punctuated with an exclamation point. “He has no use for it anymore.”

Jinx grinned, “Because his head got so big it exploded?”

“Worse, exile for life.” Viktor scratched a note on the sheet of paper beside the journal.

Jinx scrunched up her nose, “How’s that a punishment? Topside is boring and sucks. Total snooze-fest!”

For the first few years of their acquaintance, Jinx looked up to Viktor. But then, as she grew like a weed and his illness continued to degrade his spine, they eventually reached a kind of equilibrium.

Jinx wasn’t stupid, she knew Viktor was sick. His cough reminded her of the cough of a vague shape of a man who could have been her father but also could have been anyone living in the Fissures.

She gradually learned the set of silent rules that orbited Viktor’s illness. Rules like, don’t try to touch Viktor when he’s in the middle of a coughing fit, or don’t resume the conversation until Viktor has collected himself- Silco enforced that one, watching every member of the chembaron council with his good eye narrowed, forcing their silence until Viktor we ready to rejoin the proceedings. Don’t touch Viktor’s cane unless he asks you to hold it for him, definitely do not make modifications to Viktor’s cane without asking, even if all you did was make it look badass.

Jinx did know, in that uncanny way that children can just know things, that she and Viktor were somehow both the favorites, by virtue of being something like siblings. They both needed different things from their ‘father.’ Jinx needed stability and reassurance, Viktor needed protection and resources. Gradually Jinx understood that even though Viktor didn’t wear his heart on his sleeve the way she did, he still needed his family.

Jinx even understood, distantly, that Viktor’s biological parents (not his real parents, that was Silco) were still alive. That they lived in a distant country and that they had sent Viktor to the undercity with just enough money for a Piltover academy uniform and the promise of a room with a very distant cousin of his father’s.

But there was no family, and there would be no uniform. Oh, sure, the cousin existed, but they felt no obligation to keep some distant relation’s spawn comfortable. They took half the money for the uniform the first week, citing rent, and then the other half the second week, citing food. The third week, they put him to work to start paying off his debt. Jinx also knew that the cousin had died, and even though he was a complete bastard, that death had taken away the little stability Viktor had left.

With only the clothes on his back, his cane, and the meager items he had managed to scrounge from his cousin’s home, Viktor wandered out into the world completely alone. And then, miraculously, he lived.

Jinx knew that when people looked at Viktor, they assumed he had been found by Silco immediately after being orphaned, otherwise how could the poor crippled boy survive? But she knew better. She was infinitely grateful that Silco had found her right after her sister abandoned her, because from what glimpses Viktor offered about his year alone on the streets of the undercity as a child, not much older than she was now, she knew she wouldn’t have survived.

Viktor had a special talent that Jinx lacked. He could be cold, he could shutter away his emotions, lock them up tight and not betray any of what was happening in his mind on his face. Jinx found this impossible. Not matter how tight she tried to make her face muscles, she still wore every emotion on her face, her entire body. Viktor could narrow his eyes a minuscule fraction, and then continue on, unshaken.

Jinx knew one more secret. Very, very late at night, if it was too cold or if it had been too long between injections or if someone called him by the wrong name or sometimes even if he had hit a wall in his studies, if jinx pressed her ear tight against his bedroom door, jinx could hear a quiet ‘huff huff’ of breath. If she opened the door and slipped inside as quiet as a mouse, in the dark Viktor would grip her hand tightly and rest his forehead against her shoulder, and sometimes he would even let her hug him as he let out his tears in near-silence.

Sometimes on those nights she would promise him that one day she would build him the best leg ever to replace the one that caused him so much pain. When she did that he would place a hand on the top of her head and kiss her hair.

“I’m sure you will one day, but not yet.” He would say fondly.

Jinx knew that what Viktor had as a child was not exactly something you could call slavery, but he knew he didn’t have the options to leave Singed back with anything other than his clothes, the mercurial scientist was equally likely to praise Viktor as he was to cuff him on the ear for some mini infraction

Viktor described the event that led him home to her exactly once but she had gone over the image in her mind enough times that it was cemented there, like knowledge of how engines work and that sisters don’t come back from the dead.

Jinx could picture it, Viktor being taken in by the undercity scientist. Viktor learning and delighting in having access to tools he had only dreamed of, Viktor befriending the giant axolotyl named Rio, Viktor being determined to help his mentor come up for a cure for her illness. Viktor returning home one day to find Rio suspended in a tank, not for the first time but the tubes inserted into her sides were taking something out, not pumping medicine in.

Jinx could see the way Viktor went flying at Singed with all the fury of an orphan with a temporarily full belly, the way his leg gave out on him halfway through but rather than let him fall, Singed slumped to the floor embracing him, the way his father used to.

Jinx watched the sliver of Silco emerging from the shadows, a faint smile on his lips. Offering Viktor a hand up and admonishing Singed for hiding him away, that the boy had mechanical talents and wasn’t suited for shimmer experiments, there was a much more useful place for him. That was The Last Drop, and that was how Silco became Viktor’s father. He had found him, just like Jinx, and taken him in because he needed him, just like he needed Jinx.

She knew other things, like that the notebook he returned home with and perused at the bar was not his, but had the shiny look of something from topside, even if it was well worn.

“His lab is in Piltover, his resources, his colleagues… it will be devastating.” Viktor continued to read while Jinx watched with her owlish eyes. He could do anything with her watching now. After a few minutes he looked up and up, like he was seeing through a window that no one else has spotted, looking to the horizon line that Piltover towered over, white and gold and resplendent and disgusting.

“I think I am going back.” He said.

“Tomorrow?”

The dim yellow light of a bare bulb ignited a thin sliver of gold in his eyes, “This evening.”

Chapter Text

Jinx barged into Viktor’s bedroom and found him packing a bag.

She knew something was wrong earlier that day when the door to Silco’s office slammed shut and then that something was really wrong when the vent she normally used to listen in on his conversations shut with a loud thunk.

She pressed her ear to the door, smushing her cheek so hard against the dark wood that it felt like her eyeball was about to pop out. The voices came through too muffled for her to make out what they were saying. Still, it gave her something, she knew who Silco was arguing with - Viktor.

Jinx knew that every conversation Silco had was important, especially when he tried to keep her from hearing it. When she was very young he had tried to stop her more frequently, but when she inevitably always found a way to hang from the vent in his ceiling, he had brought her on as a kind of business confidant. If he didn’t want her to hear what he was saying to Viktor, then she definitely needed to.

She ran her hand along the wall beside the door, lightly patting it until she found the panel that was slightly loose. She pressed on it and slid into the space. There wasn’t enough room for her to walk forward, but if she kept her back to the wall she could use a series of steam pipes to climb up and above the office. She wedged herself between a pipe and a support beam and lowered her head below her knee.

She reached a perch where her familiar teal and pink monkey tag grinned back at her in the shadows. She had to strain to hear, but the voices came through clear at least.

“-a fool to accept-“ It was Silco, his voice deepened to a full growl. It was different from when he was addressing his flunkies or trying to intimidate an enforcer, less controlled.

“I’d be a fool to refuse.” Viktor said, cold and sharp.

Between the two of them, it was a battle of the stoics, and Silco didn’t have the upper hand like he almost always did.

If Jinx knew Viktor like the back of her hand, she knew Silco like the palm. Silco was tough and creased by the many hard years of his life, he was essential, he was the grip that held everything together, not just for Jinx and her brother, but for everyone in the Undercity.

But she trusted Viktor, too.

“Have I ever denied you anything?” She could hear Silco’s footsteps very, very faintly. He was pacing. She could picture him making the rounds in his office

“Of course not.”

“Then I fail to understand what makes you want to throw your life away for this Tallis boy.”

They both were silent for a long time, what felt like forever. Jinx shut her eyes and imagined them nearly nose to nose, an unstoppable force and an immovable object.

“What does he look like?” Silco asked, slow and careful. He was taking a different tactic now, it was one he employed much more rarely.

“I fail to see the relevance.”

“Broad shoulders, strong hands, kind eyes?”

Viktor didn’t answer.

“Have I guessed correctly?” Their father’s voice was soft, almost gentle. “Viktor.”

“He is- some would call him handsome.” He admitted.

Jinx scrunched up her face. She knew enough to know what they were talking about. Boys. She didn’t see what the big deal was. But it was a big deal to Viktor and Silco. She could remember the first time she had overheard them talking about it.

“What’s ‘protection’ mean?” She asked Sevika afterwards, her breath catching on the gap where her front two teeth had fallen out. She had to ask Sevika because Silco and Viktor couldn’t know she had another way of listening in.

“A shiv or a concealed pistol.” Sevika replied without looking away from her cards.

That made sense. Viktor wasn’t weak but his body was, he needed protection when he went out with a boy, just in case. He would opt for a blade rather than a gun, which wasn’t acceptable because guns were better basically in every way.

1. Made a loud noise
2. Explosions! (which could be bigger and flashier with the addition of some of the powders from Viktor’s lab)
3. More surface area (for decorating)

A blade was too straightforward, and it required getting in close. But then, most guns would probably break Viktor’s fragile bird bones.

Jinx was thinking about how she could design a rifle with an arm that could attach to Viktor’s torso brace to distribute the weight and recoil, and nearly missed Silco and Viktor picking up the conversation.

“You think I am making a mistake.” Viktor said, “But it is my mistake to make.”

“I can’t protect you up there.” Silco said.

“I don’t need your protection-“ Viktor insisted. “I will be perfectly safe, I will-“

“I’m not talking about from violence, I know you can handle yourself. I’m talking about this Piltover boy you’re enamored with.”

“I’m not-“

“They will take your brilliant mind and your enduring spirit and twist it and make it into a tool of their own. They’ll suck the life out of you and leave you a shadow of your former self. You’ve never been broken, but they’ll break you.”

“Father.” Viktor’s voice was thick with emotion. “I need to try.”

It was silent between them. Jinx thought maybe one of them had left, but she never heard the door open.

When Viktor spoke again his voice was soft but full of determination,

“I am grateful for everything that you’ve given me. I wouldn’t be able to have this opportunity without you. This Hextech technology- we can use it to make things better for the people here.”

“How?”

“I don’t know- yet. But the potential is incredible, I need to be up there.”

Jinx heard a soft thud. Viktor standing? Silco sitting on his desk? A bottle being taken out to be shared between the men like some ancient communion ritual?

“If I succeed, your dream of an independent Zaun could come true, finally.”

“I dream that dream for you now, Viktor, you and your sister.” Silco said. “If you think this is for the best, I trust you. I’ll still worry, but I trust you.”

Jinx couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She knew Silco didn’t want Viktor to leave, but he was letting him go? Wasn’t there some way to make him stay? For the first time she felt the tiniest crack in her absolute trust towards Silco.

Silco, who saw her and loved the things about her that she loved about herself. He didn’t mind that she spoke too loud or left hairpins all over his desk or occasionally blew up something he would have preferred she didn’t. At the end of everything when she felt like the fire and the agony would swallow her whole, Silco was there.

Silco, who had responded to catching three street punks graffiting the last drop’s front windows by recruiting them into showing Jinx the ropes, rather than skinning them alive.

Silco, who sometimes looked so sad, so achingly berift, and then so angry the next moment, accompanied by him adjusting his tie, pulling it tight, trying to remember a hand that had fit perfectly around his neck.

She knew what he was, a monster. But she was a monster too, she could feel it roiling under her skin sometimes.

She had heard all she needed to. Viktor was going to go and Silco was going to let him. But she wasn’t about to.

Half an hour later, Jinx barged into Viktor’s room and found him packing a bag.

She crossed her arms and tapped her foot, just watching as Viktor set a folded shirt in the bag, then straightened to look at her. After a moment of silence, he sighed.

“Jinx, what can I do for you?”

Jinx tried to remain stoic, but her lower lip wobbled. She darted forward and threw her arms around Viktor’s waist, cane and all. Viktor put an arm around her shoulder and his hand in her hair, pressing a kiss just above one of her barrettes.

“Don’t go.” Jinx said, her face pressed against Viktor’s shirt, voice muffled by the fabric. “I’ll find you a big boyfriend from down here and something extra special to take apart, and you can stay.”

Viktor let out his huffing laugh and gave her a gentle squeeze.

“I knew you’d find a way to overhear.” He said. “I was going to come and tell you.”

“Promise?” Jinx asked, “Silco shut the vent, he didn’t want me to know…”

“He was sure that he could convince me to abandon my plans.” Viktor pulled away but just far enough so he could wipe the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs.

“You’re so skinny.” Jinx complained, “All the wind up there will carry you away, and then you’ll get trapped in the turbine of an airship and die.”

“Maybe so.” Viktor said, the crows feet that he was far too young to have crinkling beside his eyes. “But my plan is to spend most of my time in the lab.”

“What’s wrong with your lab here? Do you not like it anymore because I painted a monkey on your autoclave?” Jinx began to bounce on her feet. The more upset she felt, the more she needed to move as a comfort. Viktor had helped her gradually move from her original coping method, hitting her head or pinch herself until her skin bled, to things like these stims, bouncing her leg, fiddling with a little metal fidget toy Viktor made for her, or getting out her energy by climbing as high as she could out of the Fissures to nearly topside.

The more she thought about Viktor not being there for her, the tighter her stomach felt. Her breath came out in thin wet gasps as she clung to him.

“Jinx.” Viktor said, gently placing his hands on her shoulders. “I know it’s difficult to understand. I’m not going because I would rather be there, I’m going because the technology Jayce and I are going to work on can change the world for the better- we’ll be able to help people in Zaun. It’s more than I could ever accomplish down here by myself.”

“You aren’t by yourself.” Jinx insisted.

“No. I misspoke. I mean- down here working on my inventions. Even Silco doesn’t have the resources to set up for mass manufacturing or my devices, a Piltover connection could source them much cheaper, maybe manufacture them in Zaun, with Zaun’s natural resources.”

This was getting beyond Jinx. “You’re going so you can help people here?” She asked.

“I want you to come into adulthood in a world where you can breathe clean air.” Viktor said, keeping his eyes fixed on hers. His features looked even sharper in the dim light of his room. He rubbed circles into her shoulders with his thumbs.

“I promise you, I will write you and I’ll be thinking of you. And missing you.” He leaned in, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “I’ll need you to send me some of your drawings to decorate my work station.”

Jinx perked up at that. It was something she could work with.

“Even if I cover it with glitter and there’s a butt on it?” She asked, grinning.

“Even so. I will find some sealant for the glitter.” Viktor said, the corners of his mouth twitching upwards.

Still, she didn’t part from the hug, and he didn’t make her. They stood there, her with her cheek on his shoulder, him with his on her hair.

Despite how against it he had been, Silco still came to see Viktor off from the Promenade Level the next morning. Light from topside filtered through this high up in the Under-City, so Silco was illuminated like he almost never was, his ruined eye and hunched form impossible to ignore. Jinx was dressed as usual in one of her many brightly colored patchwork ensembles. She was crunching on caramel popcorn and peanuts that they picked up from a cart on the way to the descender station.

“Why is it called a descender if it goes up?” She asked, swinging Viktor’s free arm as they walked.

“It descends from Topside.” Viktor said, “And they get to name it.”

“I’m surprised it’s not named after someone old and dead.” Jinx said, and she could have sworn she saw Silco smile briefly.

Viktor let go of her hand and adjusted the strap of his bag on his shoulder when they arrived at the station.

“I suppose this is it.” He said, turning to Jinx and Silco. He extended his hand to Silco and the older man took it for a shake. Then Jinx threw her arms around both of them, yanking them in close.

“Don’t be mad at each other right now.” She complained. “Just hug. It’s good for your creaky bones, both of you.”

They opened their mouths to protest at the same time, briefly met each other’s eyes, and then leaned in to her embrace. She saw Silco put his hand on Viktor’s shoulder and lean in to touch their foreheads together.

“Be cautious.” Silco said softly.

“I always am.” Viktor said with no small amount of irony. Silco scoffed.

“We love you, Vicky.” Jinx said, and when Silco stood a step back she squeezed Viktor around the waist even tighter.

“Ah. I can’t say I’m fond of that one.” He said affectionately.

“Well, you can’t stop me from using it unless you come down to visit a lot, okay?”

“Okay.” Viktor smiled, but he still seemed sad.

He gave her another squeeze and then they parted reluctantly. Jinx reached out to grab Silco’s hand and crushed it with her grip as they both watched Viktor walk towards the descender platform. He waited in line for a few minutes and stepped in, with one last glance towards the both of them, his expression unreadable. Then he was gone and the door slid shut.

As the descender rose up towards topside, it began to rain.

Chapter Text

Then

“Are you puking your guts out or shitting yourself to death?” Jinx stood at the door to the bathroom, her ear pressed against it.

It took a long time for the answer to come, but when it did, it was in that pinched tone that Viktor used when he was trying to convey disapproval but also trying not to laugh,

“Puking.”

“Want your toothbrush?”

“Please.”

Jinx always got a thrill from being in Viktor’s room without him. It meant she could goggle at whatever she wanted, rattle around the many pill bottles, peek at the magazine of pictures of muscular, well-oiled men he kept slotted in a gap in the wall where two panels didn’t quite line up, leaving the perfect spot for stashing softcore pornography.

She picked up the toothbrush from the little caddy it was in on top of Viktor’s dresser, and cast one last curious look around the room before returning to the door.

“Hi, I’m back. You can use my toothpaste if you want, even though it’s bubblegum and you hate it.”

She heard shuffling on the other side of the door. Viktor opened it just enough to stick his bony hand through the gap. Jinx placed the toothbrush on his outstretched palm.

“ Já se na to vyseru.” He grumbled, and pulled his hand back.

Jinx heard the sound of running water and began to pace in the hallway. She was thirteen years old and her body felt like it was mostly constructed from elbows. She had a ton of energy- someone had promised Silco that she would ‘mellow out’ as she got older but that didn’t seem to be the case. If anything, her need for stimulus had only doubled, tripled.

Usually that meant bothering Silco, but he wasn’t around this morning, so Viktor got to enjoy the privledge.

He emerged from the bathroom a few minutes later, his hair and face damp, looking like death warmed over. It was the early days of his illness so his cheeks were still full (well, full for Viktor), he was just the wrong color.

“So, what did you put down the drain this time?” Jinx asked, reaching for his hand. “Hopefully one of the organs you have two of.”

“Some days I wish it would be my brain.” Viktor replied with a weary smile. He rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand. “Speaking of- you ought to be with your tutor, yes?”

Jinx looked up at the ceiling and swung her arm in front of her face to try to hide it.

“Maaybe?” She said, and tugged on one of her braids. “Okay, but she’s boring! I like it better when you teach me.”

“I do not know everything you need to know, Jinx.” Viktor said, walking with her up the hallway towards the main room of their family area above The Last Drop, his cane tapping against the solid wood flooring.

“If you don’t even know it, I don’t get why I have to.” She complained.

“I did not have the benefit of a proper teacher.” He said, “You know, when I was your age I was-“

“-a sump-rat crawling on your hands and knees in the Grey, uphill, both ways!” Jinx finished for him, and he laughed. It was a nice sound. He was usually so serious, it was nice that he was okay with doing it in front of her. She knew it was special.

“My point is, you are fortunate to have a teacher. It is better to learn some things from a book, at first.” He said, sounding wistful.

“But you always say experimentation is the heart of innovation!” She exclaimed as they reached the living room. She yanked on his hand, dragging him over to their well worn couch.

Viktor plopped down onto the couch beside her with an ‘oof’ of effort. She searched his face with her eyes to see if he was going to puke again, but he didn’t say anything about it, so she didn’t ask.

“I just need to rest for five minutes- ten!” She said, looking up at him with her biggest puppy-dog eyes. “My brain is tired.”

“You did get me my toothbrush-“ Viktor said, “Did you knock over anything in my room while you were snooping?”

“No!” She said with a grin.

“So you were snooping.” He said.

“-um.”

“Don’t worry.” Viktor ruffled the top of her hair with his free hand, causing her to scrunch up her nose. “Ten minutes.” He said. He patted the thigh of his good leg, and she shifted to rest her head on it. He wrapped his arm around her so she could keep holding onto his hand.

Now

Jinx knew how serious things were when Silco sat her down and told her he was sending her topside to check on Viktor.

“Whaaaat?” Her voice cracked through the elongated syllable. “Now you’re sounding like the crazy one.” She sat backwards on the chair in front of his desk, her shoulders slumped against the back on one side, her legs dangling from the seat on the other.

“This is serious, Jinx.” Silco had a harder edge to him ever since Viktor left for the Academy. More than a few of the Chembarons had been left visibly shaken as they wobbled their way out of his office.

“Your brother has been living topside for three months. His most recent letter mentioned the Tallis boy-“

“Again?! Ugh!” Jinx rocked the chair she was sitting in back and forth until it tipped to the side, and she elegantly rolled off of it into a crouch and then sprung up onto Silco’s desk, both knees bent up by her ears. Her long blue braids trailed down her back, swinging off the edge of the desk.

A slow grin spread across her face, equal parts toothy and giddy. Quick as a flash she stood up and flipped a pistol around her index finger, pointing it above Silco’s head, one eye closed and the other squinting, seeking out an imaginary target. “And you need me to shoot him full of holes and drop him in the drink!” She let out a cackle.

“Jinx-“ Silco reached up and lightly grasped her free wrist, and she dropped down onto his lap, catching most of her weight on his desk.

“Make him sleep with the fishes?” Jinx asked, in her closest approximation of a sheepish smile.

Silco gently removed the gun from her hand and replaced it with the injector for his eye. He set the brightly colored pistol down on his desk, then leaned back, one hand on Jinx’s upper arm to steady her.

“You know how Viktor is when he has a new obsession. He doesn’t eat, he doesn’t sleep.” Silco’s face was turning into one big wrinkle. “That topsider is doing what they do, worming his way into his head.”

Jinx let out a groan and reached for a vial of shimmer, stretching for it in mock determination. Like, oh man, her fingers were definitely almost there, she just needed a moment more of tension before Silco got the medicine he loved and hated in equal measure.

“So you want to send me up there to spy? Me? Not exactly sending your stealthiest guy, pops.” They both fell silent and Silco tipped his chin up so that she could align the injector with his eye. She didn’t give him a count in, just waited for the alignment to be perfect and pressed the trigger. The needle slid out with a hiss and Silco made a similar sound through his teeth. He grimaced and a tiny bright pink tear rolled down his cheek. She dabbed it away with a tissue.

Jinx gave him another moment to recover, then leaned into his chest, resting her ear just above where she could hear his thumping heartbeat.

“We need him to come back, Jinx.” Silco said, staring somewhere far away.

“Why send me? I’m not the best at talking things through- I mean look what happened to the Undercity Welcoming Committee?”

Silco focused on her, a corner of his mouth twitching up. The Undercity Welcoming Committee had been a particularly explosive demonstration of her’s, and had put the fear of Zaun into that little pustule, Marcus.

“If anyone can bring him home, it’s you.” He said, squeezing her hand. He brushed the hair from in front of her eyes and behind her ear with his free hand. “Remind him of what the topsiders took from us, what they’ll take from him when given half a chance.”

Jinx leaned in and pressed her forehead to his.

“Okay.” She said, “I’ll get him.”

Climbing up the levels to Topside was trivially easy for her, considering all the time she spent darting across rafters and up walls at home. In no time at all, she was standing on the roof of a tall apartment building with bright white stucco walls and geraniums on the window boxes.

Jinx rocked back on her heels as she scanned the Piltover skyline. Something about it made her stomach lurch and it wasn’t the heights.

Her eyes settled on a building that had to be the Academy. It was shiny gold all over and she recognized the blue color in some of the banners from Viktor’s uniform.

She blew out a breath, time to go. She took a running start and leaped onto the next roof. A few tiles scattered from under her feet, but she quickly recovered and was off.

She reached the edge of the courtyard in front of the Academy and peered down. There wasn’t an enforcer or even a guard in sight. Jinx shrugged and hopped onto a nearby gutter drain, sliding down it until she reached the grass below.

She held up a hand in front of her eyes as she approached. The sun was so bright here, and the air smelled earthy and floral. It was hard to imagine that a whole city full of people lived like this.

A few students in uniforms gave her odd looks and a wide berth, but no one stopped her on her way to the science building. She had been expecting more resistance, honestly, more restrictions from the topsiders. But the double doors to the building were wide open.

Finally she was inside. The first person she very literally ran into was a tall, broad-chested man with a dark blue ponytail.

“Chuck!” Jinx exclaimed, she grabbed the man by the shoulders and pressed one wet kiss to both of his cheeks, then pulled back, grinning ear to ear. “There you are, Chuck. Good to see you!”

“Sorry, I think there’s a misunderstanding here.” He said, “My name is Dimitri.”

“Extremely funny, Chuck, you’re in rare form today. Now- can you be extra special helpful and tell me where Viktor’s lab is?” She asked, rocking forward on her toes.

“Oh, yes! It’s actually just down this hall.” He said, gesturing over his shoulder. “And by the way- who are you?”

Jinx gave him a smack on the back that left him staggering,

“Useful as ever, Chuck! Thanks, buddy.” She took off again, leaving the student bewildered by the whole experience.

It wasn’t hard to find Viktor’s lab after that. One of the doors was labeled with a brass plate, ‘Hextech Project - Jayce Tallis and Viktor.’ Jinx frowned and pulled a grease pencil out of one of her pockets. She scrawled a quick ‘of Zaun’ next to Viktor’s name and then pocketed it, feeling satisfied.

The doors were locked. That wouldn’t do. She examined the handles and the way that the doors slotted together. Piltie locks, easy. She pulled a pin out of her hair and made short work of them.

Jinx barged into the lab and found Viktor being crowded up against a table by the Piltie, who had his head bowed and hidden by Viktor’s neck. Viktor’s cane was on the floor- which explained how the enemy had been allowed to get in so close.

Viktor’s eyes snapped up and widened when he saw her sprinting towards them but he didn’t have time to bark out a warning before Jinx launched herself onto the Piltie’s back, yanking him hard away from Viktor and sending him sprawling to the ground. The man let out a squawk like a dying goose.

“Jinx!” Viktor shouted. “Get off of him.”

Jinx blinked up at him from the floor where she was very enthusiastically trying to strangle the Piltie to death.

“He was trying to hurt you!” She exclaimed.

“He was not.” Viktor raised a hand to press his fist to his temple. “Jinx, please.”

Now that Jinx got a good look at him, something strange was going on with Viktor. His face was flushed and his shirt and vest were both halfway unbuttoned.

Jinx let go of the Piltie and wiggled out from under him, jumping away like he was on fire.

“You’re dating?” She said, “Viktor, you’re supposed to be doing science with this guy, not- kissing him.”

Viktor’s face flushed, “Not- not exactly.”

Jinx made a mock retching sound, “Ew, so you’re just sleeping with him?”

“Jinx!” Viktor stepped over the man and towards her.

The man on the floor let out a groan. He sat up, rubbing the back of his head.

“Want to fill me in, Viktor?” He asked, sounding a little dazed. Jinx felt a smug sense of satisfaction. Kissing her brother, was he? Well, he deserved the headache and more.

“Jayce, this is my sister.” Viktor said, quickly buttoning his shirt and vest back up. When he finished, he took one more step forward and wrapped his arms around her, giving her a brief, tight hug. Then he pulled back, his hands on her shoulders. “Jinx, what are you doing here?”

“I came to take you home.” She squeezed his wrists. His face fell.

“Oh, Jinx.”

Jayce stood, putting a hand on the small of his back to brace it. He stared at Jinx.

“This is your sister, the genius?” He asked.

“Jayce.” Viktor said without looking at him. “Could you give us a few minutes?”

“Uh, sure.” Jayce gave the back of Viktor’s head a confused look, but nodded. He took a few steps backwards and grabbed his jacket from his chair, then hurried out of the lab.

Viktor sighed. “Please retrieve my cane, Jinx.”

She stooped down to grab it for him.

“Are you mad?” She asked.

“No, of course not.” Viktor said, giving a faint smile. “Come and sit.”

He led her to a couch in the corner of the lab. There was a big blue and red blanket folded neatly at the end of the couch. He sat and rested his cane on the arm, then took both of her hands in his, tugging her down to sit with him.

“Viktor.” Jinx said, curling up towards him like a flower to the sun, “You have to come home.”

Viktor furrowed his brows and tipped his head down to his chest, inhaled a deep breath and then let it out slowly.

“I cannot.” He said, and Jinx’s heart dropped into her stomach. “What I’m doing here is too important-“

“Too important to even visit?” She asked, feeling her face growing hot. Her voice lowered to a rough whisper. “Too important to see me?”

Viktor’s expression contorted in pain. Not physical, but the pain that came from disappointing her. When he spoke again, his voice was lowered to her volume.

“I worry that once I cross the bridge again, I will not be allowed back over a second time.” He admitted. He let go of her hands and put his to her cheeks, cradling her face. She grabbed both of his hands and shut her eyes, pressing her lips together in a thin line to keep her lower lip from wobbling.

“Jinx…”

“It’s not the same without you.” She said. “Pops almost bit Smeech’s head off last week.” She sniffed. “Which- it wouldn’t be good for his digestion.”

Viktor stroked her hair, tucking a piece behind her ear.

“Jinx- let me show what we’ve been working on.” He said.

“I don’t care about your Piltie’s project!” Jinx exploded, pulling back from him on the couch, arms crossed tightly.

“I think you will.” Viktor said, still gentle.

Jinx frowned hard at him. He was rarely wrong about what kind of science would interest her.

“Okay.” She said. “But I don’t have to like it.”

“No, not at all.” Viktor promised.

Jayce poked his head into the lab and was immediately alarmed when he found Viktor and Jinx standing at a desk, their faces illuminated in bright Hextech blue.

“Hey, what’s going on?” He asked, trying to stay casual.

Viktor and Jinx both looked back at him over their shoulders. Almost perfectly in sync, they both pushed their goggles up into their hair. It was almost uncanny.

“I am showing Jinx how we calculate the potential energy stored in the hexgems.” Viktor said, gesturing towards the device on the table in front of them, the platform for the crystal, the dial showing the range of frequencies to have reverberate through the crystal.

“You’re showing her our proprietary formulas?” Jayce asked, looking a little pale.

“She is family, Jayce.” Viktor said. Jinx grinned and stuck her tongue out at him behind Viktor’s back.

“Yeah, it’s not that hard to get.” She scoffed, “Don’t flatter yourself.”

“Uh, Viktor, could I talk to you for a minute?” Jayce asked.

“Anything you have to say to me, you can say in front of Jinx.” Viktor replied with a serene expression.

Meanwhile, Jayce’s expression was similar to what it might be if he was staring down a hungry crocodile.

“I was just curious how long your sister is going to be here for?” He asked.

Viktor looked to Jinx,

“I’m staying.” She said.

“Where?” Jayce asked.

“She can stay in my dorm.” Viktor said, “She prefers a couch to a bed anyways. Isn’t that right?”

“You got me.” Jinx said, flipping her goggles back down.

“She’ll be a valuable resource on Hextech, Jayce.” Viktor said, not completely unsympathetic towards Jayce’s discomfort.

Jayce sputtered, “Stay in the dorms? I mean, she’s not even a student.”

“I have an idea about that.”

A few hours later, the three of them were standing in the courtyard, all in matching uniforms.

Jayce was sweating.

“Viktor, there’s no way this is going to work twice.

The other scientist shrugged, “We’ll never know unless we try.”

It did indeed work twice. All Viktor could do was raise his eyebrows as Professor Heimerdinger dove into a frankly concerningly detailed conversation about explosives with Jinx. By the end of the week, the uniform was real.

“If I knew it was that easy I wouldn’t have taken all those entrance exams.” Jayce said, bewildered.

“It’s okay, Piltie, it’s hard to realize those systems around you that make you feel all safe and fuzzy are pretty much fake.” Jinx said with a smile, her arm looped through Viktor’s. “Now, are you going to pay up on your bet? Or are you a topside welcher?”

Jayce looked between her and Viktor, who offered him no lifeline.

“Uh, yeah, fancy bakery it is.” Jayce said, already feeling the hole widening in his wallet.

“Excellent.” Jinx crowed, and gave Viktor a tug. Jayce tried to give him a look behind Jinx’s back, but the young woman immediately noticed and raised her middle finger to her eye, tugging down on the lower lid.

Jayce sighed. It was going to be a long semester.

Chapter Text

Then

It was a dark and stormy night.

The Knights of Janna stood proudly with their swords in hand, ready to defend the people of Osha Va’Zaun with their very lives.

Viktor’s pencil drifted across the page. It was easy to imagine eight able-bodied men in armor with their swords and shields. But the shiny armor sounded more like Topside to him.

Maybe there was one knight who had grown up among the shining knights, but wasn’t exactly like them. Maybe he was a little younger, more cheerful and friendly, less severe. Maybe- maybe he could have a brace on his shin like Viktor. Maybe he had been born just like him, but a magician made him something to help him be strong. Not to ‘fix’ him, because a person wasn’t something to be fixed. But a support, something to make him stronger than a regular leg, even.

Maybe the magician was like the knight, maybe he lived in the golden kingdom, but his leg was hurt, too. Maybe they could be friends. Maybe they could-

The door to the apartment Viktor called home opened with a loud bang. Figures poured inside, soaking wet and wounded. It wasn’t an uncommon occurrence for someone to show up to Silco’s needing their back-alley doctor’s treatment, but it was rare to see so many.

Viktor closed his notebook and drew his knees up to his chest. He was old enough now that Silco didn’t send him to another room when he was doing business anymore.

He felt his stomach twist when he saw a man enter carrying Sevika, notably missing her left arm entirely, a bloody stump hastily wrapped in bandages where it should have been.

Silco came in last, holding a young girl in his arms. Viktor’s eye widened, taking in Silco’s bloody vest, the bruises on his neck, the girl with bright blue hair clinging to him for all she was worth.

Silco made a beeline for Viktor on the couch. As he drew closer, he could hear the sound of the girl’s sniffles growing louder, punctuated by the occasional wet gasping breath.

Silco tried to set her down on the couch, she let out an anguished cry and clung even more tightly to him.

“Don’t leave me!” She sobbed, burying her face in Silco’s neck, right on top of the bruises. Viktor knew it must have hurt, but he didn’t flinch, just gently pried the girl’s hands from his shoulders so he could meet her eyes as he spoke to her.

“Jinx, this is Viktor.” Silco said, his voice hoarse. “He’s going to help keep you safe.” He gave her a brief squeeze. “I’m not leaving you, I need to take care of my people, can you sit here with Viktor for a while? Can you be brave?”

Viktor watched the girl’s head bob in a hesitant nod. Silco lowered her onto the couch and she clung to both of his hands with a death grip until he leaned in and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

Finally, he looked to Viktor.

“Just keep her calm while I deal with this- mess.” He had his usual barely contained annoyance in his voice, but there was also something deeper. He looked haunted in a way Viktor had never seen before. “I’ll be back.” He promised the both of them, then he pushed both hands through his hair and turned to start barking orders at the milling crowd.

Viktor looked down at the girl beside him. Her eyes were closed tight snd she had her arms wrapped around herself like a straight jacket, rocking ever so slightly back and forth.

Viktor didn’t try to touch her, just spoke in a soft voice,

“I don’t know where you came from, but you’re safe now.” She didn’t respond, just whimpered.

“Your name is Jinx? That’s a very interesting name.” That was apparently the wrong thing to say, since it only prompted Jinx to let out a loud sob that echoed across the apartment. Viktor saw Silco’s head rise from the crowd and look directly at him. He wasn’t angry, but concerned. There was a vulnerability in his expression that Viktor barely recognized as fear. He had never known Silco to be fearful.

“It’s going to be alright.” Viktor promised the girl, though he wasn’t exactly sure of that. All he knew in that moment was that he was the only person in the world right now making an effort to help soothe this girl. Viktor looked around the couch, then his eyes settled on his journal. He picked it up and flipped it to the page he’d been writing on.

“Would you like to hear a story?”

Jinx cracked one eye open, a tear escaped it and rolled down her cheek.

“What kind of story?” She asked.

“It’s about knights who fight a monster and protect people.” Viktor said. It was the first time he had actually shared any information about something he’d written, but his determination to take care of Jinx overrode his self-consciousness.

“What’s a knight?” She opened her other eye and wiped her nose on the back of her hand. Viktor reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a handkerchief to offer it to her. She fooled the little piece of fabric with wide eyes, as if she’d never been given anything before, then she used it to wipe her face. It did little more than to sop up some of the tears and snot, but that was the point, to help her get feeling better.

“A knight is like- a soldier from a long time ago. They wear armor and fight with swords, they’re loyal to a lord and they fight for his honor.”

“Like an Enforcer?” Jinx scrunched her nose, “Enforcers killed my mom and dad.”

If Viktor’s heart hadn’t been aching before for this girl, it was now.

“They killed my cousin. My- guardian of sorts.” He said, and her eyes widened.

“Who took care of you after?” She asked in a pinched, pained tone. “Vander took care of us after, me and my sister- but he’s gone now, and she’s gone, too. He’s dead and she left me and-“ her breathing began to speed up again and Viktor could see that her tears were welling.

“I took care of myself, for a time.” He said, “But then Silco found me, just like he found you.”

“Is he nice?” Jinx asked, “I don’t know, he has a mean face, but he helped me.”

Viktor hesitated.

“He’ll be good to you, like he’s been good to me.” He said, “He brought you here, that means he’ll protect you.” He worried his lower lip with his teeth.

“Okay.” Jinx said. “-is it like an Enforcer?”

“No. A knight is nothing like an Enforcer.” Viktor promised, “A knight protects the weak and defends the innocent.” He paused, “-do you want to hear the story?”

He watched Jinx think for a moment, saw the conflicting emotions play out over her face. Then she nodded. Viktor opened the notebook and balanced it on his knee.

“It was a dark and stormy night…” he murmured.

When he reached the end of what he had already written, he floundered a little but pressed on when he realized that Jinx had curled up against him. When he looked down, her large grey-blue eyes looked up at him, rapt with attention.

“Do you like the story?” He asked, his voice soft.

“Uhhuh.” She said. “Is there more?”

“Of course.”

Now

“Jake.”

“Jayce.”

“Jacob.”

“Jayce.”

“José.”

“Jayce!”

“Jimbo!”

“Jayce!”

“Jordle!”

“Okay- alright- that’s not a name anyone uses.” Jayce frowned at his companion at the table. “You’re just messing with me.”

“Yup.” Jinx said, and followed it up by sipping her juice with a long, loud slurp through a cotton-candy pink straw.

Jayce knew that Viktor had a sister in an abstract sense, like he knew about black holes and quarks. Purely theoretical. Having Jinx working in the lab was a little like encountering a black hole, actually. Gone were the days where Jayce was the messiest one in the lab, the desk that Viktor had requisitioned for her looked like a neon-colored bomb had gone off on it.

But Viktor was right, Jinx was a genius. Jayce would have had to be a complete idiot not to see it. She brought out something in Viktor- a level of enthusiasm that Jayce hadn’t seen in the other man since they had floated through the air in Heimerdinger’s office.

“Viktor! Stop reading and eat your sandwich before you keel over.” Jinx said, reaching to yank the book out of her brother’s hands. Rather than getting a whack with the cane (like Jayce would have), Viktor relinquished the leather bound tome and picked up one triangular half of his sandwich and began to eat.

It wasn’t that things had been bad before, it was just that Viktor seemed more energized, happier.

And Jinx was smart. Really smart. Having her in the lab was the best thing to happen to Hextech since Jayce had stumbled on the crystals in that Undercity shop.

Their current urgent missive from the council was to get the Hextech crystals to a place where they could be stable long term for public use in everyday life. So far it was proving extremely challenging, but Jayce had the sneaking suspicion that with Jinx, they might just have the edge they needed to crack it.

The only downside was that Jayce and Viktor’s relationship had stalled. Not their friendship, that was fine, growing stronger every day. But since Jinx had launched herself like an angry monkey onto Jayce’s back to pull him away from kissing Viktor’s neck, they hadn’t tried anything again. And Jinx was living with Viktor now, that meant no more long nights seated on Viktor’s couch, their thighs pressed together as they watched nature documentaries or old telenovelas that Jayce had watched with his mom as a child.

As Jayce watched Viktor eat his sandwich with Jinx looking on with a self-satisfied grin, he resigned himself to waiting just a little longer. Things were much more complicated in Piltover for Viktor than he thought.

“When are you going across the bridge tomorrow?” Viktor asked between bites.

“Bright and early.” Jinx said, fiddling with her straw. “I wanna go see somebody before I see dad.”

“Make sure you don’t take too much time.” Viktor frowned, “He’s expecting you, and his last letter was- tense.”

“How far down does your dad live?” Jayce asked, hoping to become part of the conversation again.

“Oof.” Jinx rolled her eyes. “Get a load of this guy.”

“Don’t tease him.” Viktor blew out a breath. “Jayce, it’s typically more polite to ask what level someone is from. Not ‘how far down’ they live.”

“Oh.” Weren’t the levels different the further down you went? It was confusing to Jayce, but from the looks on Jinx and Viktor’s faces, he didn’t think that argument would hold much water. “Sorry, what level does your dad live on?”

“He’s in a neighborhood called The Lanes, usually.” Viktor said. “It’s under the Entresol level.”

“I’ve been to the Lanes, actually.” Jayce said, “I found the raw crystals there in a little pawn shop.”

Jinx and Viktor exchanged a look.

“Benzo’s?” Viktor asked.

“I think so?”

Jinx let out a snort,

“Okay, so you’re the Piltie who Ekko charged triple. You didn’t even haggle?” Jinx was grinning again, at Jayce’s expense.

“Why would I haggle? I was in a store!”

“It’s alright, Jayce.” He felt Viktor out a hand on his forearm and looked back at him. There was something fond in his expression that made his knees feel like jelly. He knew he had to be making a similar expression back.

“Ugh. You two are disgusting.” Jinx said. “You’re lucky I haven’t told Silco about it- although I think he already knows. Men in my family have a type.”

Viktor put his face in his palms and Jayce felt all the blood rush out of his face.

“Silco?” He echoed, looking at Viktor wide-eyed. “-The Eye of Zaun?”

“Yes.” Viktor grumbled, dragging his hands down his face. “I was going to tell you. Just- when it became necessary.”

Both men looked at Jinx, who did nothing to try to hide the self-satisfied expression on her face.

It was early enough in the morning that only the faintest hue of pink had appeared in the sky over Piltover. This was a benefit because it made sneaking across the bridge back to the Undercity painfully easy, but it also meant the descent down to the Lanes was shrouded in almost complete darkness. Luckily Jinx had the foresight to tag the roofs of the buildings she used to climb up to Piltover. They glowed with just a touch of the black light penlight that Jinx kept hanging from her belt.

Like she told Viktor, she didn’t head straight to The Last Drop or to the cannery, the two most likely places to find Solco. Instead, she descended to the street where a familiar shop and attached arcade were located. The sign for Benzo’s was still centered proudly over the front window, it even looked like it might have a fresh coat of paint. The big difference from Jinx’s childhood was that the front window had been completely blacked out with a combination of thick canvas fabric and tape.

When she entered the shop, it was immediately apparent why. Ekko was seated at his usual station, a welding mask tipped over his face, a soldering iron in one hand and a spool of wire in the other.

If Jinx knew Silco like her palm, she knew Ekko like her pinkie toe. Essential for balance.

“Viktor is constantly making cow eyes at his Piltie boyfriend.” She complained loudly. She threw herself onto a rolling chair backwards and aimed herself at where Ekko was seated, bumping up against the desk.

Ekko continued his work without even flinching.

“Ekkooooo-“ She called, “Come on, I know you can hear me.”

She understood, distantly, that Ekko had flitted in and out of her life because he would never forgive Silco for Benzo’s death. But she still cared about him whether he was near or far, she knew he was the only one she could talk to about this. And she knew that sometimes there were things Ekko couldn’t share with the Firelights, either. He had grown up too close to the nucleus of Zaun’s resistance, it gave him and Jinx a bond that neither of them could deny. No matter how hard they might have tried.

Ekko continued steadily soldering the wire to the thin sheet in front of him. He finished a line of wiring, set the wire down, turned the soldering gun off, and lifted his welding shield to look at Jinx.

“Hi.” She said with her brightest, winningest smile.

“Hey, Jinx.” Ekko said, leaning an elbow on the table. He had a resigned expression on his face, but Jinx knew she could perk him up.

“Viktor was making c-“

“I heard that part.”

“Well, what am I supposed to do?” Jinx flung her head back, letting her long braids dangle to the floor. They were silky and neat today, since Viktor had helped her redo the braids last night. “If I tell my dad, he’s going to rip Golden Boy’s arms and legs off like a fly on the windowsill.”

“Which would be…” Ekko’s eyebrows rose.

“Bad! I think. I mean, Viktor likes him and Viktor asked me not to tell- asked me, not told me. Soo- ugh, I guess I can’t.”

“I didn’t think you’d both get so enamored with a Piltie.” Ekko finally turned away from his desk and lifted the welding mask from his head, setting it down on the table. He was missing his usual paint that he typically applied in the shape of an hourglass from his brow down to his nose, presumably to keep it from smudging on the mask. It made him look younger, less harsh and wary of the world.

"I'm not enamored, I'm just trying to keep my dad from drawing and quartering the guy - because Vicky definitely is into him." She crossed her arms on Ekko's desk, gradually intruding on his personal space. One corner of his mouth twitched upwards.

"Are you still liking the research?" He asked.

"Yeah, it's great!" Jinx said, her voice cracking, "They won't let me mess with one of the crystals on my own, though." She perked up slightly. "But as soon as they do, I'll bring it down for you, okay?"

"Don't get yourself in trouble." Ekko's face flushed just a tiny bit on the apples of his cheeks. Jinx reached out to pinch one, and he quickly scrunched up his nose and batted her hand again.

"Believe me, Viktor and the Piltie are a lot more trouble than I am. Look at me- I came down all this way to come see pops and make sure he hasn't given half of the chembarons concrete shoes and dumped them in the Pilt." She gave his cheek a gentle pat and then crossed her arms over the back of her chair. "-how is he?"

"Not in a good mood." Ekko said. "It's not like I've seen him, but I've heard about gangs getting broken up, formed back together under new leadership. Sounded like Silco was cleaning house."

"Oh boy." Jinx grimaced. "I guess I'd better go and see him."

"Are you going to go right back up Topside after?" He asked.

"I was going to stay the night at least." Jinx said with a shrug. She stood and he followed her up.

"It's been a while." Ekko said. "It'd be nice to see you a little longer, you know, so we can talk about your project." He hesitated, "-maybe over some hallacas?"

"Sure, Pookie. That sounds fun." Jinx leaned in and pressed a loud wet kiss to his cheek, and when she pulled back with a grin, his face was fully flushed red.

Jinx heard Silco before she saw him. The guy guarding the bottom of the stairs leading up to his office let her by without a peep once he looked her up and down once.

"This is an unacceptable level of incompetence-" His shouting was muffled by his office door, but still came through clear enough. "-complete waste of my time and resources-" Jinx didn't bother knocking, she let herself in. "-throw you in the Pilt but even those fish would choke on you pieces of filth-"

The scene she walked in on would have been hilarious out of context - it was pretty hilarious in context, too. Silco standing in front of his desk, his usually coiffed and slicked back hair falling in front of his face, which was flushed bright red from fury. There was spittle on his lower lip. Two goons sitting in the chairs, one with Sevika's cybernetic hand around his neck, the other cowering.

"Hey, pops!" Jinx exclaimed to announce herself. Silco's head snapped up like it was springing a trap. She watched his eye widen and his expression go slack, then he remembered himself and scowled at the two men in front of him.

"Out." He sneered. Sevika lifted both men out of their seats by the back of their shirts, scruffing them like disobedient puppies.

"Nice to see you, kid." She said as an aside to Jinx as she dragged the two men out of the office.

Silco didn't waver. Once the door was shut, he strode forward and immediately wrapped Jinx in a crushing hug. He let out a long, shaky breath against her shoulder. She looped her arms around his middle to hug him back, squeezing tight.

"Hey, pops." Jinx said, soft and gentle. "I missed you, too."

Silco drew back, pressing a kiss to her temple, then held her with his hands on her shoulders.

"Your brother isn't with you." He said, not a question.

"Sorry." Jinx said.

Silco shook his head, took her hand, and returned to his seat behind his desk. She followed, tugged along by her hand, then climbed up onto his desk, sitting on it cross-legged, her fingers laced with his.

"Tell me that what he's doing up there is going to help Zaun." He said through clenched teeth. "Tell me he's alright."

"I'm making sure he's eating and sleeping." Jinx said. "He's doing good. He likes his research and- I gotta say, pops, I think it's pretty revolutionary. It could change a lot for us. Viktor wants to make sure it benefits Zaun, and he's got that Piltie wrapped around his little finger, so I don't think he'll be a problem.

Silco's eye narrowed,

"Jayce Talis." He said the name like he was talking about some bottom-feeding worm creature.

"Jake's an okay guy." Jinx said, remembering Viktor asking her so sincerely to make sure Jayce didn't become the target of Silco's ire. Which honestly was a lost cause, but at least Jinx could keep her dad from marching up to Topside and dragging Viktor back down by his ear. "He's trying, he even helped me get into his fancy academy."

"Wonderful.” Silco grumbled, “I should be thankful you’re both having a fantastic time at your Topside school.”

“He’s not staying up there because he cares about the academy than us.” Jinx said, “It’s because he doesn’t think they’d let him back up.”

“All the more reason to come back to us.”

“Whaaat ifff- you came up?” Jinx hadn’t planned on floating this to him so quickly, but it felt like the right time.

“You know why that isn’t possible.” Silco said, pressing his thumb to his temple and resting his elbow on the arm of his chair. She felt him squeeze her hand just that much harder.

“It’s possible.” Jinx insisted, “You just don’t want to.”

“The last time I tried to cross that bridge, I lost an eye.” Silco said. And his partner, though Jinx knew that spot was still sore enough not to mention it.

“You still have one left.” He fixed her with a withering look. “Sorry, you just look so serious- your face is gonna get stuck that way.”

“Have you eaten?” He asked, resigned.

“Nope. Jericho’s?”

“For breakfast?” He grimaced. “I’ll make something. Jericho’s for lunch.”

“Pancakes?”

Finally, Silco cracked a smile.

Jinx’s face was half-stuffed with pancakes when the hexcrystals came up.

“Tell me the theory again.” Silco said. Hehe cut his own pancakes into neat little pieces, occasionally spearing one on his fork to eat.

“Basically- they’ve got these crystals, right? And these crystals have this juice in them, like, magic juice? And when you hit them with enough energy that they start to resonate- uh, they vibrate? But then if you don’t put enough energy into them, they stay unstable and- BOOM.”

“Hm.” Silco made a non-committal noise. “And when you do put enough energy into them?”

“It’s magic. Like, literally magic. So far we can make stuff float and make things kind of pop-pop from one side of the lab to the other.” She flicked her index finger against her cheek to make the pop sound.

“And the Piltover Council knows about this?”

“Pops, they’re funding it.” Jinx rested the points of her fork against her lip.

Silco fell silent, the crease in his brow deepening with every passing moment.

"Your face is going to get stuck that way." She said, then took another bite of pancake, cleaning her plate. "Are you eating those?" She asked, pointing at his stack with her fork.

"How is this meant to help Zaun?" Silco asked, sliding his plate towards her.

"Think about it!" Jinx said through a mouthful of pancake. "Even just those two things- you could use the floaty part to pull garbage out of the Pilt, and you could use the teleport thing to get across it." She drummed her fingers on the table, "And that's just the start. Once the crystals are stabilized and ready for public use? They can power anything we need, no solar that doesn't work, no coal that ruins the air."

Some old pain crossed Silco's face as she spoke, and she reached out to squeeze his wrist.

"We can really make things better." She said, temporarily taking her focus off of her breakfast. "And me and Viktor together? With his- stupid but also very smart Piltie friend? We'll do even better."

"Hnh." Silco grumbled. But she could see the wheels turning in his head. "Perhaps there is some utility to it. But tell me more about Talis. This boy-" His face sunk into its usual scowl. "I refuse to have Viktor treated as an accessory to his 'genius.'"

"He doesn't." Jinx promised. "Viktor's his partner-"

"-his partner?" Silco's voice dropped to a dangerous rumble.

"Like his business partner!" She said, "He treats him like an equal, pops. I swear."

"We'll see how long that lasts." He said, but seemed molified for the moment. After a moment of silence he added, "I have your bedroom made up for you."

"Thanks, pops." She said with a smile.

After an enormous greasy lunch at Jericho's and a long walk through the Undercity streets, Jinx was half-asleep by the time they returned home. She spent a few minutes tossing and turning in her old bed. She rolled out from under her sheets and tucked her pillow under her arm, then padded down the hall to Silco's bedroom.

She found him sitting up in bed, reading a book with a worn red cover. She didn't have to say anything, he just tugged his blanket down to make space for her. She hopped up on the bed to curl up beside him, her braids hanging over the edge of the mattress.

"Love you, pops." She murmured before sleep took her. She felt his hand on the top of her head and a kiss on her hair.

"I love you, Jinx." He said in a voice so soft, so tender it made her eyes water.

She had to figure out a way to get Viktor to visit, and soon.

Jinx ended up spending half the week in Zaun, giving Silco and Ekko teary goodbyes while both of them fought to keep their own tears at bay. If she wanted to stir the pot, she would have told Ekko that he and her dad were more alike than he thought, but she decided to let it lie.

She took a new route on the climb up to Topside, a new challenge and something to throw off any Enforcers who might have been getting cute about Zaunites smuggling themselves up into Piltover.

She got back mid-day, then made a beeline for the lab, knowing she would find Viktor there.

"Where's golden boy?" She asked, as Viktor pulled her into a hug, pressing his forehead to her's.

"Jayce? He's at the forge. Making pieces for our prototype." She wanted to ask him what the prototype was for, but he continued. "I have something for you." He stepped back to his stool at his desk and picked up a small wooden box the size of his palm.

"What is it?" She asked, as he placed it gently in her hands.

"Open it and see." He smiled, and for a moment it looked like all the weight and weariness on him and in him had evaporated. Jinx put her thumb on the lid of the box and slid it open.

Her eyes widened at the sight of six bright blue slivers of crystal, glowing faintly.

"For me?" She asked, and Viktor nodded.

"I trust you, Jinx, and I want to see what you can do with a crystal of your own, this was the compromise Jayce was willing to make- for your safety." He touched her forearm. "He cares about you."

"I gave him like, a dozen nicknames." Jinx said, unable to tear her eyes from the crystal pieces. "I don't mind him."

"Good. I trust you, but he needs time. Be thorough and careful, and give it time. I'll be able to bring you into the full project. I want your eyes on everything." Viktor squeezed her arm and then set his hands in his lap. "So, what are you thinking for your first experiment?"

Jinx grinned, and Viktor let out a soft snort, shaking his head.

"I think I may have created a monster."