Chapter Text
It all started at a party.
An odd place for it to start, at least for anything that involved Viktor to such a degree as it did, but it had started there nonetheless, much to Jayce and Mel’s future chagrin.
It started rather innocently too–the party was meant to be a rather laid-back affair–but as anything that involved Ambessa Merdarda and pretty little boys, it didn’t stay that way.
It was a magnificent party at least, Mel had made sure of that. Nothing but the best for Mommy Dearest, unless Mel wanted even more scrutiny than she was already going to incur from simply existing. Honestly, though, the party wasn’t really the problem, or it wouldn’t have been if Viktor had simply stayed hunkered down in the lab during the great “Ambessa Merdarda’s” visit like he often did. That wasn’t what happened, obviously and it was mostly the fault of Jayce. After all, if Jayce hadn’t practically gotten down on his knees in front of Viktor the evening before and pleaded with him to come with so Jayce wasn’t alone while Mel entertained her mother, then it was likely none of what transpired would have ever come to pass.
In Jayce’s defense, he had been trying to support Mel through this difficult time and, by extension, had begged Viktor to help support her too by way of his attendance. It was no secret that Viktor was a rather intimidating presence, especially to the people of Piltover, and he wasn’t easily ruffled by their gaudy talk and crinkled noses. He wasn’t afraid to raise an eyebrow at idiocy or shut down a pointless conversation by merely walking away. Nor was he off-put by big, powerful women, which was exactly what Jayce needed. Not to mention, Jayce knew full well that there was nothing that helped Mel relax more than having a nice, hot cup of tea after an elaborate party and talking shit about whoever had earned her ire. And, well, there was nothing Viktor was better at than talking shit. So what better to help Mel feel better about the treacherous evening than the promise of some spicy gossip and ranting after her duties had concluded?
…And if Jayce was also hoping Viktor’s icy personality would rebuff any unwanted advances, those were his own sins he’d soon come to deeply regret.
To his credit, he’d also wanted to spend some time with his partner outside of the lab, perhaps earn a dance at some point, but that was just an added bonus.
Further in Jayce’s defense, the way Viktor had appeared at the top of the stairs that night, lit by the warm glow of candles and leaning casually against his glinting cane with a calm, collected look of indifference, would be a visage Mel and Jayce would think of often for years to come. The slim, fitted silk shirt and gorgeous black vest paired with the same colored trousers, all with tasteful gold accents he wore probably didn’t help what was to come at all, but it was a look that lived rent-free in Jayce’s head for the next several years so perhaps it was worth it. It was a combination of Jayce and Mel’s house colors, which had been their intention when they’d purchased them for Viktor some moons ago, and he looked nothing less than splendid in them.
…It wasn’t until much later that Jayce found out they were also colors Ambessa liked to dress her consorts in. So, in her eyes, Viktor was practically a part of her weird little harem already and that certainly didn’t make anything better.
Jayce couldn’t help but let his jaw drop, eyes widening as he took in the sight of a fancied Viktor, hair neatly slicked back off his forehead. There was no one announcing guests at this party, but there was absolutely no need for Viktor’s presence to be declared, the two people he’d attended to please clocked him the second he walked in the door. He scanned the room with a slight squint and a furrowed brow, finding Jayce amongst the crowd first. Giving him a smooth nod, he began to descend the stairs slowly and carefully, taking them one at a time. It was only as he did so that Jayce snapped out of his daze, hurrying over to climb the remaining steps to meet him.
“It’s good to see you.” Jayce breathed, taking in the sight of Viktor from up close this time.
Viktor raised a brow in response. “You invited me. Begged me, actually.”
“Yeah, but I didn’t think you’d actually come . Wait, that’s not what I–don’t laugh at me Viktor–you never come to parties, even when I ask you to.” Jayce waved one hand to emphasize his point, offering his other to Viktor as they descended the last few steps together. “And when you do, you don’t usually look, wait no, that’s not–Look, what I’m saying is you look really nice, and it’s even nicer to see you out here.”
Viktor rolled his eyes, but apparently wasn’t offended enough by Jayce’s bumbling to refuse his hand. He shrugged as they reached the floor, immediately making for the massive spread of treats and delicacies Mel had specially ordered for the event. “Yes, well, the parties you go to are usually sponsorship meetings, and I detest talking to such people. If I wanted to simper over someone’s nonexistent good traits for hours, I’d go to work for one of Salo’s houses. Plus–” he plucked a flute of champagne from a passing waiter’s tray. “I know for a fact Mel doesn’t skimp on the quality of her alcohol, especially not when her mother’s in town, and that is a fact I’m happy to take advantage of.”
Jayce huffed a laugh and picked up a glass of his own, sipping it carefully as he trailed behind his partner. Viktor leaned heavily on his cane, easing his way around the table and eyeing the treats like a wolf who couldn’t decide which young goat in an unattended field he wanted to pounce on. He eventually settled on a perfectly domed macaroon that sat atop a magnificent tower composed of its brethren and popped the entire thing into his mouth all at once. That drew a few stares, but Viktor didn’t even bother to acknowledge them, instead going for another.
Jayce gave his partner some space to make some further selections to pile onto a small dessert plate, at which point Jayce swooped in and plucked the flute from his fingers so Viktor could carry his treasures. He then wandered after his partner as he sought out a good vantage point that had an acceptable chair. Viktor soon found it tucked up against one of the many pillars in the great hall and plopped down, tucking his cane up against one knee and settling his plate on his lap. Jayce shuffled over to stand beside him, resting one arm on the back of the chair and handing Viktor’s glass back to him.
Taking another sip of champagne as he scanned the room for any sight of Mel. He found her immediately, but that was mostly due to the fact that she was staring right at him with a clenched jaw and eyes that were just a bit too wide. He blinked, brow furrowing as he shrugged one shoulder. She tilted her head just slightly toward her mother, drawing his attention to the woman.
Ambessa was an intimidating woman in every sense of the word, and even in an elegant, velvet red pantsuit, that effect wasn’t diminished. If Mel’s raving tales of her mother’s accomplishments and deeds didn’t set the stage enough, the way she filled any room she walked into was enough to indicate her prowess. It also helped that she was massive , Jayce knew that much from his own life, but he wasn’t nearly as terrifying as Ambessa. Viktor and Mel both insisted it was because of his golden-retreiver-esk personality, but he couldn’t see how that could be. That was besides the point, though.
Ambessa’s gaze was just as heavy as her armor, which Jayce had also experienced for himself the last time she’d tried to intimidate him. However, he did not find himself on the receiving end of such a stare this time.
No, that honor was reserved for Viktor himself, who somehow was too caught up in the hour’derve he was consuming to notice himself being eyed like an exquisite dessert in a high-class bakery.
Jayce’s heart immediately stopped, and the images of the young man he’d seen accompanying Ambessa flashed through his mind as the warlord set her drink down on a nearby table and made for the two of them like a woman on a warpath. He opened his mouth, looking from Mel to Viktor, then back to Mel who was speedwalking after her mother and trying to talk to her. Ambessa said nothing, however, instead continuing full-steam-ahead with her eyes locked on Viktor. Mel looked at him helplessly, gesturing firmly with one hand which sat tucked against her side where no one could see it.
Without a single other thought in his head except for pure pandemonium, Jayce tipped his glass and spilled the entirety of his flute of champagne on Viktor’s head.
Vitkor sputtered, reaching up to smack his hand coupled with an irritated cry of. “Jayce!”
“Oh! Oops! Clumsy me, haha,” Jayce wheezed, grabbing Viktor by the arm and pulling him a little too aggressively to his feet. Stepping in front of him, he handed Viktor his cane and shrugged off his own suit jacket to wrap around Viktor’s shoulders. “I don’t know what happened there, must’ve been too blinded by Mel. She looks extra sparkly tonight, huh? Uh, we better get you out of here right away, yep, and into some dry clothes. No time to waste, up and at ‘em, let’s go!”
“Jayce, what–shouldn’t we at least wait until Mel meets us–?”
“No, no time! Plus, it’d be terribly bad manners to greet her mom with wet clothes. It’s, uh, like an insult in Noxian culture, so we had better get out of here before she reaches us.”
“I do not think I have ever heard her discuss such a thing–”
“Totally did! Must’ve been in, like, a counsel meeting so you wouldn’t’ve heard.” He practically dragged Viktor across the floor, half-ducking under his partner’s arm to support more of his weight as the man continued to ask half-baked questions and look over his shoulder to where Mel was slowing to a stop.
Jayce peered over Viktor’s head to find Ambessa having stopped, eyes narrowing as she watched him pull Viktor away. She folded her arms over her chest, eyes flicking back down to Viktor with a sly smirk. Jayce followed her gaze with his own, and found his pulse instantly lit ablaze as he realized what she was looking at. He took a sharp left for the nearest exit. He yanked open one of the various doors and pulled Viktor through it without another word.
Yes , Viktor had a nice ass, this was an objective fact.
No, it was not for her to enjoy, and he would make sure of that.
Unfortunately, in his haste, he had picked the wrong door and found himself not outside the Merdarda estate, but inside one of the many ornately decorated bathrooms. He let out a long sigh, carefully setting Viktor down on the edge of the bathtub that was–for some reason–just inside the door. Viktor leveled him with a steely gaze.
“There were easier ways of getting me to move, Jayce.” He said with an irritated drawl. “And what did I say about dragging me?”
“Not to.” Jayce replied weakly, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly.
“Unless?”
“Something is about to blow up in your face.”
Viktor nodded, then rolled his eyes and folded his arms over his chest. “Now, do tell me, oh Man of Progress, what was your ingenious plan in getting me into the bathroom so quickly? Would it not have been better to exit the Merderda estate so we could find me some more suitable garb?”
Jayce winced, wracking his brain to pull out a rather weak, but believable, lie from his arsenal. “Well, it’d take a while to walk back to your apartment, and I didn’t think you’d want anyone to see you like this–”
“–With my hair wet and my shirt slightly damp?”
“Yeah! So I figured I’d just run back and grab you something, or maybe Mel can find something, y’know? So you can just hang out here and I’ll just scoot out real quick to find something. Sound good?”
Viktor narrowed his eyes, staring at Jayce as he tried very hard not to fidget. In the end, he simply shrugged and adjusted his lean against the bathtub to resettle the plate of treats that had apparently made the journey with them.
“Very well, if you insist, I will wait here, but I expect another eclair when you return with my clothes.”
Jayce laughed, despite himself and the situation, and Viktor gave him a wry smile as he started to unbutton his shirt, shooing Jayce with one hand. Holding his hands up, Jayce squeezed back out the door, waiting for the lock to click behind him before he let out a breath and tried to gather his thoughts. When he looked up, he found Mel standing right in front of him, left eye twitching ever so slightly as she smiled placidly at him. Ambessa stood beside her, arms folded over her chest.
“General.” Jayce ducked his head as respectfully as he could manage. He thought about adding in something like ‘it’s good to see you again’ or even a ‘welcome back, I hope your travels were pleasant’ but they both knew he wouldn’t mean it and Ambessa never was one for pointless small talk.
“Talis.” She replied in kind. “I’d come to finally get a chance to meet this partner of yours, but you whisked him away before I could get a chance.”
“I accidentally spilled a glass of champagne on him, and he hates being wet, so I was just going to run and grab him a change of clothes. I’m sure he’d be happy to meet you after he’s cleaned himself up.” Jayce forced pleasantries into his tone, turning stiffly to Mel. “Mel, could I borrow you for a second before I go?”
Mel nodded, the very picture of serenity, “pardon me, mother.” And the two sped away as daintily and quickly as they could manage without seeming incredibly suspicious.
The second they ducked out into the hall, Jayce started rambling. “Yes, I know, I know . I messed up, this is bad, can we skip the ranting for now and fix this?”
“Why is he here, Jayce? You know my mother has a… preference when it comes to the men she interacts with. She has traits she specifically looks for, and Viktor, may the goddess have mercy on his soul, fits every single one of them.” Mel hissed, grabbing him by the shirt and tugging him faster as her heels clicked dramatically against the floor.
“What did I just say?” Jayce groaned, running a hand through his hair. “Look, I wasn’t thinking of Ambessa and her harem preferences, I was thinking of you. I was trying to–it doesn’t even matter now–but I was trying to help you feel a little less stressed about tonight.”
Mel sighed, shoulders dropped a few centimeters, and she gently patted Jayce’s shoulder. “I suppose it isn’t entirely your fault and I do appreciate the thought behind it. Honestly, I was hoping she might have more decorum about her advances, but that was rather wishful thinking. He does look unfairly attractive in those pants, so perhaps I shouldn’t have expected quite so much.”
“He does, doesn’t he.” Jayce sighed wistfully.
“How did you manage to convince him to leave the lab, let alone put on something so nice? If he wasn’t in danger of being eaten alive by my mother because of it, I believe I’d be rather impressed.”
“I promised there’d be fancy desserts, good alcohol, and extensive shit-talking.” He glanced over to her, a little smile on his lips as he tacked on. “I also might’ve told him you’d really appreciate it, but I think I might have to eat those words now.”
Mel’s laugh was musical, and a welcome sound after the last five minutes of extreme duress. “Perhaps a bit of gossip after all of this would be rather enjoyable. For now, though, we need to formulate a plan to get Viktor safely out of here and keep him out of sight until my mother leaves.”
“Okay, okay, no problem. He’s a hermit anyway, can’t be that hard, right…? Right?”
Mel leveled him with a solemn stare. “Jayce. You know my mother. You have seen her at work before. She is a bloodhound in every sense of the word, and once she sets her sights on something, there is very little that can be done to remove them. You thought Hextech was a challenge? That Zaun was dangerous? They pale in comparison to my mother’s resolve when she desires something.”
Her words were as serious and dire as the look on her face. She went so far as to stop in her tracks and grab him by the shoulders, turning him to face her. Pulling him close, so close their noses were practically touching, she stared into his eyes. Jayce couldn’t help but fidget slightly. Mel Merdarda had her mother’s gaze, and she clearly wasn’t above using it to further her point. She was also several inches shorter than him naturally, but the massive heels she seemed to effortlessly glide across the floor in made up for most of that. Honestly though, even if she hadn’t had them, Jayce probably wouldn’t have felt any different.
Sliding her hands up to grab him by the face, she started speaking once more. “Do you understand me, Jayce? We will need to call in our every resource for this, every trustworthy person we know, we will need them all. We mustn’t take this threat lightly or Viktor will be snatched out from beneath our very noses.”
Jayce grabbed her hands, giving them a little squeeze as he nodded seriously. “Don’t worry, I’m sure we can handle it. Viktor’s not a hard person to keep track of, and between the two of us I’m sure we can keep her away from him. How long is she staying again?”
“Three weeks.”
“...I’ll call Cait.”
–
“...So’re you gonna tell us why you guys dragged us outta bed at the witching hour and shoved us into this broom closet with like five candles.” Vi yawned, aggressively rubbing her eyes from where she sat with one foot up on a box, the other hanging down. “You need help hidin’ a body or somethin’?”
It was a motley crew Jayce had managed to pull together in the dead of night once the party had concluded, but they were all people Mel knew could be trusted with this arduous task. She hoped that, despite everyone’s qualms with one another, they’d be able to come together against a common enemy for a few weeks for Viktor’s sake. It’d been hard enough to remove Viktor from the bathroom without Ambessa seeing him with just the two of them, there was no way they’d be able to keep Ambessa off of him for three weeks without some kind of reinforcements.
The only way they’d managed to get out of the prior situation unscathed had been because Jayce ended up putting on a dramatic show about how Viktor had fallen terribly ill, something to do with the eclairs which he quickly scooped up in their entirety and took away, but Mel was too busy rolling her eyes out of view to pick up on the details. After that, she was eventually able to entice her mother away with promises of meeting him another time. Caitlyn and her mother also seemed to have picked up on something amiss, wandering over to strike up a conversation, which served to further distract Ambessa much to their combined relief.
Thus, the necessity of this late night meeting with a colorful cast of complex characters in a dingy broom closet.
“Yeah, someone die under ‘mysterious circumstances’? Or do we need to make someone disappear under ‘mysterious circumstances’?” Jinx asked from her place up in the narrow rafters of the janitor’s closet.
How Viktor and Jinx had met–and more pressingly, become friends –was a story Mel was never privy to. Every time they were asked, Jinx spouted off a different answer. Mel had overheard everything from ‘oh, yeah, I kicked his ass in inter-dimentional chess and he demanded a rematch, now we play every Saturday between worlds’ to ‘he used to be some magic healer and he kept me from dying of a stab wound, so I decided to annoy the shit out of him ever since so now he can’t get rid of me’. Each explanation made less sense than the last, but Viktor never spoke up or corrected her, just glanced over and shrugged when asked about the validity of Jinx’s claims. Perhaps it was for the best, she wasn’t sure she wanted to know the truth.
Every now and again, though, when Viktor was working late in the lab and Jayce was off in a meeting of some kind, Mel would peek her head in to find Jinx plopped on on his desk. She would be rambling about something Mel didn’t care to understand, and dangling her legs over the edge while she twiddled a screwdriver between her fingers. Occasionally, she’d reach over and tweak something on whatever Viktor was working on, but usually she just tapped rhythmically on the desk and chatted away the evening. Mel had no idea how Jinx got in or out of the lab without anyone ever seeing her, but some things were better left unknown. Plus, it was good for Viktor to socialize every now and again.
Even if it was with a clinically unstable terrorist, at least he had other friends.
Swinging her braid back and forth in one hand, Jinx sat up, eyes widening. “Or are you trying to sacrifice us to your weird hextech god to further your research? Oh my gosh, wait, did the Golden Boy kill somebody?! That’d be so funny–”
“No, Jayce didn’t kill someone, Jinx.” Vi groaned, then eyed Jayce. “...you didn’t kill anyone, right?”
“What–no! Why would I–?”
“Dark room, late at night, you’re shaking so bad you look like you’re about to pass out at any second, not really beating any allegations of murder here.” Jinx replied, rolling over to lay on her back and pick at her nail polish. “So if we’re not burying somebody, and we’re not preparing someone to be buried–which, guess you wouldn’t have invited goody-two-shoes over here if that was what was happening here–what are we doing?”
Mel sighed, setting a hand on Jayce’s shoulder as he opened his mouth to argue further. She gave a gentle shake of her head and stepped forward instead to address the group in his stead. “We’ve asked you here because you are all either dear to Viktor, or a trusted confidant of either Jayce or I, and we’ve come to ask for your assistance.”
At the mention of Viktor, Jinx sat straight up, the sly smile slipping off her lips as she narrowed her eyes to stare at Mel. She fixed the younger girl with a look, clasping her hand neatly behind her back as she strode back and forth across the room as if discussing a battle plan. Because, despite what her audience may think, this was a rather dire issue and she needed as much of their attention as they would offer.
“The problem is my mother.”
“Ah–” Jinx nodded sagely. “–Mommy issues. Got it.”
Mel ignored her, but Vi threw something at her sister, beaning her in the head much to Caitlyn’s concealed amusement. Jinx yelped, scrambling at the sides of the beam as she tipped precariously over the side. She managed to avoid falling off, immediately snatching something off her belt and recoiling her arm to return the favor with a maniacal glint in her eyes. Vi met her gaze with a practiced sneer, squaring up.
Clearing her throat, Mel drew the attention back to herself in an instant. She gave both the girls a hard stare and continued. “The problem is my mother. I don’t know how much all of you know of her or of Noxus, but it’s rather common for Generals to find themselves consorts in the lands that they visit–epsecially the ones they plan to eventually conquer . The most favored tend to earn a place at the General’s side and travel with them wherever they go, it’s a rather coveted position, but not always a voluntary one. My mother is no exception to this tradition. Honestly, I’ve lost count of the number of men she’s collected across the lands she visited. Over the years, she’s developed a rather specific type of consort she prefers and, well, let’s just say she’s taken a…a liking to Viktor for lack of more appropriate term.”
“Ohhhh,” Jinx let out a drawn out hum of acknowledgement, nodding along. “She’s a twink hunter, huh?”
That managed to draw a snort out of Vi and a half-smile out of Jayce. If Mel were a lesser woman–with milder standards of humor–she might’ve laughed as well, but she kept her composure and nodded. “If such verbiage helps you understand the point, Ms. Jinx, then yes, she is a ‘twink hunter’. However, regardless of any title you may bestow upon her, the point remains that she has taken a vested interest in Viktor.”
“And we’re sure it’s due to his position in Hextech? Perhaps she merely desires a closer look, she has been trying to acquire information about it for a while.” Caitlyn inquired, tilting her head slightly as subconsciously she settled a hand in Vi’s hair and began to tangle her hands in it. “How do we know she’s looking for a…a consort in Piltover? And that Viktor would even be interested in such a thing? He’s quite capable of rebuffing her advances himself, is he not?”
“Yeah, Vikkie’s not exactly, y’know, bad at telling people no. Kinda think he likes it sometimes, honestly.” Jinx shrugged, throwing both legs over the side of the beam to kick them back and forth like a young child might. “I’m confused as to why you need our help here?”
Mel sighed, closing her eyes for a brief moment and shaking her head. “Unfortunately, my mother is not one to take ‘no’ for an answer, regardless of who is telling her. In fact, such rejections only seem to spur her on further. She lives for the thrill, the hunt, so any unreceptive conversation with Viktor will merely stoke the flames of her desire. No, our best option is to simply keep them apart until she loses interest…or until she leaves. ”
Jayce set a hand on her shoulder and she opened her eyes to look at him. Giving her a reassuring smile, which she returned with a far more wane one, he looked up at the group once more and finished off Mel’s point. “We’re asking for your guy’s help in keeping an eye on Viktor for the next three weeks while her mom’s in town. We know this is a big commitment, and we get it if you would prefer to stay out of it, but we could use each of your talents here, if you’re willing to lend them.”
There was silence for a minute, the three exchanging glances silently. Jinx was the first to move, flipping over backwards off the beam to land in a crouch on the floor. She shrugged at the two of them, dusting her hands off to settle them on her hips. “Eh, yeah, sure, I’ll join your twink protection squad or whatever, I don’t have anything better to do. I’m not wearing one of your dumbass uniforms, though, okay?”
Vi and Caitlyn exchanged a look. Vi shrugged, and Caitlyn pursed her lips then nodded. “We’d be happy to assist as well.” Caitlyn replied. “What do you require of us?”
Jayce’s shoulders dropped and he let out a relieved sigh. Mel gave a little smile, nodding slowly and respectfully to each of them.
“Your assistance is greatly appreciated. For the moment, we should all return and get some rest, Jayce and I will devise shifts for each of us. If you care to work in pairs…” she eyed Caitlyn and Vi, who immediately averted their gaze and started scanning random things in the room with a few awkward coughs. “...Please let me know right away and I’ll be sure to accommodate you. Thank you again for your attention, we’ll send for you when your assistance is needed, so stay vigilant and stay safe.”
And just like that, in a dank, dingy closet, Viktor’s personal Twink Protection Squad was born.