Archive of Our Own ^beta

Jayce ran hot.
.
.
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Viktor first realized this only a few weeks into their new partnership, a culminating conclusion of the subtle touches, accidental bumps, and close proximity (that was surprisingly not unwelcome) from the other man. His initial impressions of Jayce were proven skewed, moments where Viktor previously caught him rushing about the halls of the academy and his darkened demeanor following the prospective destruction of his illegal research had led Viktor to believe that Jayce Talis was a guarded man: secretive and as imposing as his impressive build.

“You have to…”

“Crank it!”

What he had found instead was a man wholeheartedly passionate in his vision of progress and people. Humorous, yet not without tact or timing. Guarded, sure, but not in a way that was hostile, but rather in a fierce protectiveness over his ideals and research. They fell into an immediate rhythm, working alongside each other in Jayce’s dilapidated and dimly lit remains of an apartment as though they had done it their whole lives in the finest lab Runeterra could offer. 

He had only known Jayce for a day, but there was an impossible, almost cosmic beckoning. The kindling of an eternal flame to which they were inextricably bound.

Regardless, following their successful activation of the arcane crystal and Heimerdinger’s discovery of their work, the gravitational change slowly faded and the two of them began rapidly floating down. Jayce’s focus remained on him at all times, eyes fluttering between Viktor and his snapped cane across the room. Viktor inwardly winced at the prospect of making it all the way back to his academy residence without the aide. Short distances he could manage, but the walk back would leave an uncomfortable ache for the next day. Not to mention needing to rely on his old, now ill-fitted backup while waiting for a replacement . 

He was snapped out of his thoughts at the feeling of Jayce’s hands on his upper-arms, warmth seeping through the layers as their feet touched the ground and Jayce held him steady as the arcane shifted gravity around them back to normal. 

Viktor was about to snap that he did not need help thank you very much , but was stopped short when Jayce pulled back, shooting him a blinding smile that made his face positively boyish. Heimerdinger started talking to them both and Viktor’s attention was pulled aside, but it didn’t escape his notice that one of Jayce’s arms lingered slightly outstretched, offering Viktor his support without imposing it. 

Over the next few weeks, in a small temporary laboratory the professor had granted to them while a larger space was being prepared, it was impossible not to step on the other’s toes. They worked in a flurry, equations covering every inch of the walls on papers they haphazardly scribbled on once the board had been filled up. They managed to stabilize the crystal, yes, but controlling its energy was another puzzle to solve.

Jayce was an energizing presence in their tiny lab, the fire of his passion blazing as hot as his internal heat. Where Viktor stumbled during their flow, Jayce would immediately pick up and start running, an igniting force that willed Viktor to return his burning ambition in kind. 

As Viktor leaned up towards the top of the board (the last available space that they had yet to claim) and etched out the beginnings of an equation they’d just drawn, he froze as he suddenly felt Jayce’s presence along his back as the other man slotted next to him and began working alongside Viktor’s writing on the board.

Even from their distance, small yet distance nonetheless, Viktor could feel Jayce’s warmth against him, exothermically altering his own chilled body temperature like a blanket around his shoulders. 

They got very little sleep between the two of them in the first few days, until Heimerdinger stumbled in one day, took one look at the bags beneath their eyes, and barred both of them from returning until they had properly rested. On his way home, slower than usual as to not pressure his leg with his backup cane, his thoughts drifted back to his new partner, all fire and warmth in comparison to Viktor’s steady and cool demeanor. Every friendly clasp on his shoulder or accidental brush in their small space waned the fog of the enigma that Jayce had previously been, evaporating his doubt of the man’s sincerity in his platitudes towards Viktor. 

Upon entering his residence, exhaustion finally getting the best of him, his mind still reeled from the inevitable complications of his upcoming days. Resigning from his position as the professor’s assistant was a risk to the stability he had built in Piltover, yet he could not help but feel a brightening excitement at his new partnership with Jayce Talis, the man’s fiery enthusiasm quickly spreading to Viktor. He temporarily ignored other responsibilities around his room in favor of heading straight to his bed and, as his head hit the pillow, Viktor was pulled to sleep by a phantom warmth at his back, suspiciously similar to how he felt earlier that day from Jayce. 

Jayce ran hot.

.
.

This included his hands.
.
.
.

Their new lab was marvelous. There was more space for just the two of them than Viktor could ever have imagined, courtesy of Heimerdinger pulling a few strings as the dean of the academy. Stuff was strewn everywhere while academy staff floated in and out to move their belongings from the temporary lab. 

Jayce seemed like a puppy, split between pacing around the room in wonder and directing the staff in putting their equipment around while Viktor sat on one of the stools, leaning back against the long work counter to take it all in. The yordle meanwhile rambled on, reminding them about lab safety and academy regulations. Finally, as the staff had long finished the move and he finished his lecture, Heimerdinger addressed them both directly.

“I do hope the lab is to your liking, this Hextech project of yours has much potential! I’m happy to offer the academy’s resources for your research.” Turning to Viktor he continued, “I am sorry to say my boy that I could not secure a lab on the ground floor, I hope the frequent treks down to the basement won’t be too adverse for your leg.”

Ah, speaking of his leg…

Just as he predicted, the persistent dull ache in Viktor’s leg had worsened from the continuous use of his old cane. He had been so swept up in the adrenaline of their nebulous Hextech discoveries that he had forgotten to start looking for a new one, and he was now facing the consequences. Nevertheless, he shot the yordle a grateful smile.

“I’ll be fine, thank you sir. This room is more than I had expected, really, I couldn’t express enough gratitude.”

He felt a warm hand land on his back, gently pressing heat between his shoulder blades and drawing his attention to his side where Jayce piped up as well.

“Yeah, I mean…wow. This is great professor. How could we repay you?” 

Heimerdinger let out an amused chuckle, patting Viktor’s knee a few times before moving towards the door. 

“Consider it a parting gift for all your years of hard work assisting me.” He directed towards Viktor. Then, to the both of them, “You boys have brilliant minds and I’m sure that you can use your Hextech research to bring our city to another level of progress!” He exclaimed, arm hooking in a dramatic gesture to accentuate his last word. Opening the door, the yordle turned to speak to them one last time. “I’ll leave you boys to it then! Don’t hesitate to let any of the assistants know if there are difficulties with the room.”

A moment after the professor took his leave, Jayce turned to Viktor, brow slightly scrunched and mouth opening and closing a few times as if he were trying to find his words. He stopped after a few seconds, mind seemingly coming to a decision, before he crossed the room to a pile of boxes he brought himself that morning. 

On top of the boxes was a slender black case, which Jayce lifted and brought over to Viktor. Setting it down on the counter next to him, Jayce placed his hands over the latches, letting out an audible breath and facing Viktor with a sheepish smile. 

“So…I uh, I got you a little something. I noticed your cane was a bit short and you’ve had to hunch over more than you did back when we met, before your…you know, old one snapped.” Viktor raised an eyebrow at this, about to speak up when Jayce noticed his skepticism with widened eyes and hastily added, “Not- not that you haven’t been managing fine I’m sure! But I just couldn’t help but notice and I had some scrap lying around at the forge and…well let me just show you.”

Jayce turned back to the case, undoing the latches and opening it, gently lifting something out of it. 

Viktor’s jaw dropped in surprise. It was a cane. A very beautiful cane even at first glance. Silver gleamed all along its length, with red and gold embellishments adorning the foot and handle.

Pleased at his reaction, Jayce gently placed the cane into Viktor’s awaiting hands and stepped back to give him space to stand. Viktor inspected the cane now that it was closer, not overlooking the lingering warmth from Jayce’s hands on the cane, slightly clammy from nerves yet providing a gentle and newly familiar comfort to Viktor as he acquainted himself with the cane’s details. Up close, he could see an insignia etched into the gold: an upright hammer encased in a diamond shape which he recognized as the Talis family crest. It was incredible craftsmanship. Something personalized that Viktor could never afford, even while serving as Heimerdinger’s assistant. 

If this is what Jayce considered to be scrap then Viktor had a complete misunderstanding of Piltoverian luxury. 

“Jayce…this is beautiful. You made this?”

His partner reached an arm behind him to scratch at the back of his neck, a bashful gesture betrayed by the proud smile he wore.

“Yeah, but it was nothing! I swear. I just had extra time in the evenings after our work-“ a bold faced lie if Viktor ever heard one, based on his own exhaustion at the end of each day. “-and I spend time in the forge whenever I need to wind down or let out some steam.”

Viktor hummed back in lieu of a proper answer, still amazed by both the craftsmanship and Jayce’s extended efforts to accommodate for Viktor.

He shifted the cane upright before bringing it down to test it, the cane hitting the ground with a satisfying chink . His hand wrapped perfectly around the leather handle on top, and he pulled himself onto his feet and steadied himself, shifting his weight between his legs and the support of the cane a few times. It was measured perfectly to his height, allowing him to stay straightened while still leaning on the cane when needed. 

“This is- it’s perfect .” He looked up to his partner in awe. “Jayce, how could I repay you? This is far too much to do for me.”

“No! No, it’s a gift.” Jayce exclaimed as he held his hands up. His voice quieted as he continued, “You- no one’s ever believed in me, especially not about Hextech. That night…when you found me again in my apartment…” Jayce let out a shaky exhale. “I really was gonna do it.”

Looking back, Viktor pales at the thought of approaching Jayce any later than he did.

“This is the least I can do for you, for everything. You saved my life, V.” Jayce’s eyes sparkled at Viktor with such genuine affection that any further protest died in his throat. 

“I- Eh. Um, alright. Thank you Jayce. So much.” 

Jayce’s boyish smile returned, his hand coming up to squeeze Viktor’s arm before he pulled their attention to the remainder of the boxes in the room, their reverie around the cane fading away. Watching Jayce’s back, Viktor felt light as he glanced back down at his new cane, then to his arm where Jayce’s hand had been moments prior, warmth seeping from the spot straight to his heart, feeding the embers of his growing attachment towards the man. 

Jayce ran hot.

.

Much like his temper at times.
.
.

Though, never directed at him. 

He sighed, fumbling with the top of his elaborate (and frankly gaudy) formal outfit. Investor parties, Viktor begrudgingly accepted, were necessary evils of their work. Money had to come from somewhere, and mingling with Piltover’s elite had proven to be the most effective way to fund their research.

That didn’t mean Viktor had to like them.

In fact, most of the time, Jayce attended them alone. Viktor’s presence at them wasn’t significant or really even valued, he figured, seeing as to how the investors flocked to Jayce from start to end, eager to soak up his developing success story: the hard working child of honest parents putting their house’s name on the map . They simply weren’t interested in Viktor, a no-name scientist from the Undercity that reminded them of the uncomfortable truth about their split society. 

It really didn’t bother him. While neither of them were exactly fond of parties and the attention of their investors, Jayce was much more suited for the spotlight; and perhaps a little selfishly, Viktor was all too comfortable leaving him in it to avoid Piltover’s scrutiny. 

He did feel guilty at times, such as now—getting himself ready to meet with Jayce before they arrived at the party together. That morning Jayce had showed up to the lab a little later than usual, a frigid air about him and a tiny scowl only noticed by Viktor with how familiar he was with Jayce’s mannerisms now. It was clearly an off day, and their unsuccessful trial to harness acceleration runes for transport only soured Jayce’s mood even more. 

In the aftermath, Viktor stared at the ruined attempt, running calculations in his head. Jayce however, was frozen still, hunching over his workstation with his hands buried in his disheveled hair. His back heaved up and down with every breath, slow exhales acting as the only indication of his frustration, face hidden in his arms. 

Calmly, Viktor made his way over from the contraption to Jayce’s desk. Leaning on the edge, he placed his hand over Jayce’s shoulder in what he hoped was a soothing gesture.

“Are you alright Jayce?”

The effect was immediate. Jayce deflated like a balloon at the release of his tension, and he looked up at Viktor with a weary weight under his eyes. 

“I’m sorry V, it’s just been a long day.” The last words ended with a croak. Too many little things having gone wrong, their failed trial was just the breaking point. Viktor could empathize. “And with the party tonight, it’s about to get even longer.” Jayce let out a humorless chuckle, running a hand over his face to smooth out his tiredness. “They’re getting antsy, and without any concrete results soon…” He trailed off.

His heart clenched with something Viktor was unable to name. As much as he tried to overlook it, he knew that Jayce hated those parties almost as much as he did. Mentally steeling himself for what he was about to do, he squeezed his grip on Jayce’s shoulder to get his attention again.

“Jayce I’ll- I’ll be there tonight.” 

At that, Jayce’s eyes widened and his eyebrows shot up.

“Really? I thought you were ducking out of this one.”

Viktor gave a small smile. “I was, but I’m changing my mind, I’ll be there tonight for you. You won’t have to face them alone.”

Jayce’s face relaxed, his own hand coming up to his shoulder to meet Viktor’s hand. Giving it a warm squeeze of appreciation, he replied, “Alright, thank you. I’ll stick with you the whole time, I promise.” 

And that had been that. His collar was itchy and the corset around his waist made it harder to breathe, but Viktor wouldn’t back out of his own promise. Dealing with the investors alone was a large burden that constantly loomed over Jayce’s shoulders, and Viktor felt terrible at the thought of leaving his partner to handle them alone after his rough day.  

When the carriage pulled up, Viktor approached the door just as Jayce opened it, offering his hand to help Viktor in. Jayce looked well put together, the coat he donned sporting the House Talis colors and his hair slicked back, in contrast to its earlier state that day. It really was no surprise that Jayce was the city’s budding Golden Boy, impossible to deny his charm and perfect presence even next to Piltover’s established elite. Today, Viktor could see past the cracks though, as he took his hand, especially at the minute twitch of his eyebrow, telling Viktor that Jayce was still on edge from his frustrating day. 

As their carriage pulled up to the venue, they passed each other an understanding nod before exiting together and making their way up the steps to the ballroom. The party tonight was in celebration of some small Piltoverian holiday that Viktor had never bothered to familiarize himself with, but he had quickly learned that any excuse to gather and socialize was a good enough reason for the upper class of the city to throw a party. Since it was meant to be more festive, it thankfully meant that the investors there would be less likely to talk shop, more interested in milquetoast conversation topics. However it also meant, unfortunately, that the company was going to be a lot more drunk, and thus more mind-numbingly annoying than usual to be around. 

It had taken them some time for the carriage to maneuver through Piltover’s streets, and walking into the venue the pair discovered that much of the partygoers were indeed already hammered. Drunken yet somehow still haughty laughter and cheers harmonized with the band, and Viktor had to dig his heels into the ground to prevent himself from turning around and leaving right then and there. 

Instead, he gave a resigned sigh and followed Jayce through the crowds and towards the bar. He accepted whatever long-stemmed flute of alcohol Jayce had ordered for him, and taking a sip, pleasantly hummed at its sweetness. 

They sat there for a while, enjoying each other’s company and making jokes between them at the expense of the drunkest guests. When Viktor glanced over, he noticed that while the small twitch in Jayce’s eyebrow lingered, his previous frustration seemed to have melted away. Viktor smiled, it made his chest feel light.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a small crowd around one of the drunken guests dancing quite clumsily. The man…wait- was that Councilor Hoskel? Viktor turned to grab Jayce’s attention but before he could, an older, richly dressed woman suddenly slotted herself between the bar stools where they sat and grappled Jayce’s bicep, greeting him in a high pitched voice. 

Viktor scanned Jayce’s face for any signs of discomfort, ready to step in if needed, but after the initial shock his partner returned the woman’s smile and greeting, asking about her granddaughter’s application to the academy. Ah, someone he must know from previous parties then. 

Chuckling, he swiveled back towards the bar counter, signaling the bartender for another drink. He had to admit, this party was going significantly better than his previous experiences with them, no doubt thanks to Jayce’s promised company through the night. 

As his drink arrived and he tipped the flute back to take a sip, a guest in a pair of dancing guests behind him who had travelled too close to the bar suddenly stumbled and bumped into Viktor’s back, causing some of the liquid to spill onto his top. Irritation sat on his tongue but the pair was already gone, maneuvering back into the crowd of other guests. He sighed, massaging his temple, before standing up and with a glance at Jayce, who was still engrossed in conversation with the older woman, snaked off to the nearest washroom to clean his shirt. 

As cool water flowed out of the faucet, Viktor held his shirt to the tap to run it under. Luckily, his top was dark enough that there wouldn’t be any stain, but the idea of his shirt being sticky for the remainder for the night brought a scowl to his face, so a quick rinse it was. 

Making his way back to the party and to the bar where Jayce was, he was suddenly stopped when a gloved hand grabbed his arm in a harsh grip, momentum throwing him off balance with a painful twist. The man who grabbed him wasn’t someone he recognized, but his hold on Viktor’s arm was unrelenting and even at this distance Viktor could smell the alcohol in his breath as he slurred out-

“You’re Talis’ assistant aren’t you? The Zaunite? ” His last word was drawn out, spoken slowly and mockingly as though the very term was a joke to the man. Viktor attempted to pull away, but the man’s grip got tighter as he continued. “You know, I’ve never been down there myself actually, but I heard things about ‘em. Is it true that they eat rats? Or bathe in mud?” 

Viktor scoffed, he wasn’t going to entertain this, but he was still unable to free his arm and the man, noticing Viktor’s reluctance, pinched his brows in frustration and spoke up again. 

“I did meet another one of you people once. She was cheap-” Viktor’s nerves were rapidly growing at how tight the man’s grip stayed. “-and easy, small too…sort of like you.” The man’s eyes raked up and down Viktor’s figure, stopping at the narrow of his waist and licking his lips. “But, there are differences. You’re a lot cleaner than she was, more normal too. It’s great that you work with Talis, honestly, I hear you’re quite well-mannered than the rest of your kind.” 

Viktor finally yanked his arm away, his other hand coming up to rub at the bruising skin. He turned around, hoping to make a quick retreat, but the man grabbed him by the shoulders and forcefully spun him back around.

“Hey, I’m not finished.” The man’s voice darkened, getting louder with quick anger. “You should be grateful, to even be invited to these things. The least you could do is show a little respect.”

“Respect is earned, not a right.” Viktor bit back, tightening his hold on his cane. “Leave me alone sir, I don’t want any more troub-”

His speech was interrupted by a loud snapping sound, and the next thing Viktor knew he was on the floor, propped up on his hands and cane lying an arms reach away. There was a stinging on his cheek and his veins filled with ice. He had been slapped .

There was a crowd watching them with worried apprehension, but all Viktor could focus on was the drunk man looking down at him, a cruel sneer on his face. 

“This is where you Zaunites belong. I’ll make sure you remember that for the next time you think otherwise.” The man raised his fist, but before he could land a strike a large figure appeared in Viktor’s vision, radiating a molten fury and blocking his view of the man.      

“Get back. ” Jayce snarled, voice dripping with magma. 

“Mr. Talis! I was just having a lovely conversation with your assistant here-“

“My partner. ” Jayce corrected so resolutely that Viktor’s chest tightened. He started up to his knees, reaching for his cane to pull himself up.

“Yes, yes…regardless it seems like no matter how nicely you dress them up, you can’t take the sump out of the rats.” The man spat out, voice still thick with a drunken slur. “Hopefully it doesn’t leave any stains on my gloves and-“

At that, Jayce lunged forward, fists clenched, but before he could escalate the situation more, Viktor grabbed Jayce’s elbow and pulled him back, holding his forearm against Viktor’s side. Jayce turned to look at him, eyes ablaze with protective rage- no, concern. Viktor shook his head, eyes darting around the room where he spotted the venue’s security making their way over. 

“He’s not worth it Jayce, come on.”

He led Jayce out of the ballroom and to a balcony down the hall that he had spied on his way to the washroom. Once in private, Jayce’s hand touched Viktor’s cheek, sending sparks of warmth up the side of his face. 

“He hurt you.” Jayce’s voice shook, carrying none of the malice he displayed earlier.

“Jayce-“

“I should have been there sooner.”

“Jayce-“

“Gods, I’ll- I’ll kill him.”

“ Jayce. ” Viktor spoke up, snapping Jayce out of the boiling anger he was simmering into. “I’m alright.” Viktor tried to assure, although his own voice was more fragile than he intended.

“Are you?”

He wasn’t, not really. It was one thing to be ignored like he usually was at parties such as these, but to be so blatantly reminded of how the elites in Piltover really viewed him…

It had only happened a sparing amount of times during his time in Piltover, and never as badly nor physically as tonight, but frustration still pricked at the corner of Viktor’s eyes, his hands trembling as they rose to wipe them. 

“V…I’m sorry for causing a scene. I just…he said all those things and it made me so angry. ” Jayce rubbed at his temples, tension slowly giving out in his shoulders as he sank down on a bench. “It’s not fair that they get to talk that way and- and hit you.” He looked defeated. “And the worst part? He's so drunk he probably won’t even remember saying any of it in the first place.”

“It’s not your fault Jayce.”

“Isn’t it?” Jayce looked up at Viktor. “If I hadn’t been having such a shitty day then you wouldn’t even have to be here in the first place and-.”

“Stop it. ” Viktor interrupted, voice regaining confidence. “You’re allowed to have bad days Jayce. I chose to come here all on my own and it isn’t fair that you always have to deal with them by yourself as well.”

“But they don’t talk down to me, not like they do to you.” Jayce refuted and yeah, it was true. They would never talk badly to their Golden Boy and both of them knew that. 

It was Viktor’s turn to deflate, joining Jayce on the bench as they sat in silence for a few moments.

“I just wish there was a way to…skip them- this- all of it. Just get the money we need immediately and spend more time in the lab-“ Jayce looked over to him and gently nudged his knee with Jayce’s own. “-with you.” He finished with a small smile. 

Warmth bloomed on Viktor’s leg at the touch, and in Viktor’s chest at Jayce’s words. He reciprocated with his own smile, thoughts drifting back to their time today at the lab and their failed trial. 

Wait…’skip’…’immediate’…

Viktor perked up.

“Jayce, what if…we’ve been approaching it wrong the whole time.” Jayce’s expression twisted in confusion but waited for Viktor to continue. “We’ve been trying to push objects through space with the acceleration rune, but what if instead the answer was to skip the space entirely?”

Jayce’s eyes widened, catching onto Viktor’s train of thought. 

“Skipping space and time” Jayce picked up, digging into one of his pockets to pull out a notebook and pen. He started jogging equations down while Viktor peered over to follow along. “V you’re a genius! Let’s get back to the lab, I have a good feeling about this one.”

And just like that, the mood was lifted. Jayce stood up, offering Viktor his hand and he took it, following Jayce back down the hall and out of the venue. As they stepped outside, Viktor spared one last glance at the party, music still blaring and laughter echoing through the doors. Their presence wouldn’t be missed. He turned back to continue his step with Jayce, squeezing his warm arm where Viktor’s hand was hooked into Jayce’s elbow. 

He had a good feeling about this one too.

Jayce ran hot.

.
.

Though his fire didn’t burn as bright in the winters.
.
.
.

It was one of those small mysteries about him, numbered as they were, that Jayce didn’t like the winter. With his personality, Viktor had assumed that Jayce would be the type to love the season, yet every winter the man was less outspoken, and left the lab earlier than normal. 

Viktor didn’t mind, seeing as to how he wasn’t the biggest fan of them either. Colder days meant his leg ached more than usual, and it was getting harder to ignore his increased reliance on his cane to stand or walk. The thought that he might need a brace to support his leg soon left a bitter taste in his mouth. Not to mention the weather accentuated his persistent cough, although Viktor would continue to insist that it was just a cold. 

Worst of all a new back brace sat untouched in a corner of his room. Viktor refused to need it, preferring to pretend as though his back wasn’t slowly deteriorating with every passing year. He would grit his teeth and reject its aid this winter as well, no matter how many mornings he woke up with an ache on his spine. 

Long story short, Viktor hated winter. 

Still though, his natural curiosity left him wondering why Jayce didn’t like winter. He would never pry out of respect for his partner, but as a scientist he couldn’t help but want to know all the answers. 

His wish was granted one day that winter in an unexpected way. He was tinkering in the lab, absentmindedly wondering when Jayce was going to arrive. Solving the acceleration rune last year proved wonders for their progress, snowballing to the perfection of several other runes as well, although minor in their applications for Hextech compared to the acceleration rune. 

Their relationship only deepened over time too. Casual fleeting touches gradually grew into larger gestures of affection and while neither crossed any lines regarding the labels of their relationship, they grew comfortable in the platonic intimacy of their partnership.

Inwardly however, Viktor wondered not for the first time if they could be more, as little as ‘more’ was at that point. 

Stretching to avoid causing problems for his neck in his slight hunch, Viktor glanced at the clock sitting at his station. Hm , it was half past noon. Jayce should have arrived hours ago. 

Realistically, he reasoned, Jayce had likely just overslept. It wasn’t the first time he’d have done so, and more was filling onto Jayce’s plate with investors the further along they progressed in their research; it’d make sense that Jayce might sleep in every once in a while. And so, Viktor turned his mind back to the prototype in front of him, and tried to get back to work. 

An hour later, Viktor gave up. No matter how hard he tried to focus, he was unable to weed out the growing concern in his mind. His good leg had started to bounce up and down in restlessness, and he glanced between the clock and the door more times than he could count. 

With a sigh, he reached for his cane and approached the coat rack near the door to grab his outerwear. He passed by several assistants on the way up to the main academy doors, letting them know that their lab would be empty for the rest of the day. Opening the door, he was confronted by a winter storm. With the lab being in the basement, he and Jayce were often oblivious to both the weather and time of day in the soft, artificial lighting of their fake window. Now though, snow blew over his face, coating the academy grounds in a blinding white.

The smart thing to do, Viktor knew, was to turn around and stay inside the academy halls until the storm died down. He had to walk slowly with his leg, and getting through a storm would do zero favors for his weaker immune system. But, he debated, Jayce’s apartment was closer to the lab than his residence, and the gnawing worry he had for the man outweighed his patience to wait out the storm.  

Wrapping the hood of his coat tighter around his head, he momentarily steeled himself before beginning the slow journey to Jayce’s home. The frozen wind bit at his gloved fingers and the storm obscured anything past 10 steps ahead of him, but his cane tapped along through the snow. He had to check on Jayce.  

***

He knocked on the door, waiting for a reply. 

He knocked again.

His thumb mindlessly fidgeted against his cane, mind running through scenarios of Jayce being hurt or unconscious. Digging out his keyring, he shuffled through them to find the spare key that Jayce gave him, and turned the lock to gently open the door. 

“Jayce?” He called out into the dim apartment. After a quiet beat, he stepped inside.

All the lights were off. He shrugged off his coat, hanging it up on the hooks by the door along with his gloves and scarf. Jayce’s coat sat on the hooks as well, untouched and dry. Viktor’s tongue prodded his cheek. Jayce was still here. 

Nervously, he moved through the apartment until he reached the closed door of Jayce’s bedroom. He knocked and called Jayce’s name again, pressing his ear to the door. Viktor could hear the shuffling of blankets and footsteps coming from inside the room and relaxed, letting out a breath of air he didn’t realize he was holding. 

Suddenly, the door opened, revealing a very disheveled Jayce. His hair was moused, evidence of being in bed for too long, and his eyes were slightly bloodshot and rimmed red, as though he had been rubbing them or crying. 

He was also very shirtless; but Viktor decided that that detail wasn’t the most appropriate one to focus on at the moment. 

“V-Viktor?! What are you doing here?” Jayce wore a haunted expression on his face, and his chest heaved heavier than usual as his eyes darted to the space behind Viktor as if to see if anyone else was there. Viktor glanced back as well, nerves returning at Jayce’s strange behavior. 

“You weren’t at the lab today. There’s a blizzard outside and I wanted to make sure you were ok.” He tried to offer Jayce a small smile, but the other man’s eyes seemed unfocused at his words. Jayce turned to look outside his bedroom window, where the storm still silently raged on. 

“You mean...you were outside? Alone? Y-you walked all this way?” Jayce’s breathing was picking up, and one of his hands came up to latch onto the door frame to hold himself up. 

“J-Jayce?” He carefully asked, eyebrow pinching in concern. 

“V-Vik-Viktor…What if s-s-something happened to you?”

Jayce’s breathing was quickly reaching a rapid pace. His partner had a crazed look in his eyes and his free hand went up to clutch at his chest before moving up to paw at his face. He was having a panic attack. 

Shit.

Viktor didn’t know what to do, but he sprung into action anyway. Jayce looked two seconds from collapsing, so Viktor put a hand on the man’s shoulder, hoping to bring him back from the panic-induced trance the other man was in. Jayce didn’t seem to register his touch, still mouthing worries for Viktor and breathing too fast. 

“You c-c-could have-… W-What if you-… V-Viktor I can’t-…” Jayce gasped out the words, swaying between his feet, and Viktor swooped in to hook under Jayce’s right shoulder when he started to fall. Jayce was heavy, but Viktor guided him as best he could to the edge of the bed, setting him down and stepping back to alleviate his leg. 

Jayce was hyperventilating now, eyes darting around the room. Viktor kneeled down in front of him, mindful of his leg, and took Jayce’s face in his hands, directing his partner’s attention to him. 

“Jayce,” The man’s eyes shot to meet his steady gaze. “Just focus on breathing.” Jayce's expression pinched, but his breathing was heavy and erratic, unable to find a rhythm. “Focus on me. Breathe with me Jayce.” 

Viktor began to breathe loudly, audibly inhaling and holding it for a few seconds before exhaling slowly. His partner closed his eyes and shakily started to match his pace. He shuffled up as his leg started to ache, but kept his gaze fixed on Jayce’s as he crept up, moving his face closer until he touched their foreheads together and shut his eyes as well, one of Jayce’s hands coming up to grasp Viktor’s where it still held his cheek and the other moving to grip his back. 

They stayed there for a while, wrapped up in each other and breathing in unison until Jayce’s rhythm quieted. 

“I’m…I’m ok.” Jayce’s voice came out as a shaky whisper, but Viktor pulled back from their embrace to look at him. His thumb caressed tears away from Jayce’s cheek while his partner gave his hand a small squeeze. “I’m sorry for freaking out.” 

“Don’t apologize.” Viktor moved to sit beside Jayce on the bed. His hands clenched and unclenched nervously in his lap. He wanted to ask ‘ are you ok?’ , but he figured that was a stupid question so instead he settled for “What happened?” 

“It’s…the weather.” Jayce admitted, gaze moving to look outside the window. “When I woke up this morning the storm had already started and I just couldn’t…”

Viktor took Jayce’s hand, offering his reassurance as his partner dived into a story of his childhood, about him and his mother being lost in a blizzard and saved by an arcane mage, who gave him the blank rune crystal that sat embedded on the leather bracelet he always wore. 

“...He was amazing V. One second we were in the storm and the next we were in a sunny field.” Jayce’s voice was filled with reverent awe. “It’s why I’ve always been obsessed with magic. Imagine if we could harness the arcane ourselves, and put it in the hands of the public. We could help a lot of people.” 

“We could.” Viktor agreed, smiling at him. “Thank you for telling me this Jayce, it must be hard to be reminded of that every winter.” 

“It was…is…but, it’s gotten easier, especially in the past few years.” Jayce’s expression was soft, golden eyes gleaming at Viktor. “Because I have you now.” 

Viktor felt his face flush and he looked away to hide the redness. Even without direct contact, Jayce could still find a way to make Viktor feel like he was on fire. How unfair . 

He opened his mouth to respond to Jayce, but before he could get a word out he broke out into a coughing fit. He felt the world lightly spin around him as his hand shot up to cover his mouth. Distantly, he heard his name being called and a felt warm hand soothingly rub along his back. 

When he pulled his hand back, there was blood. Ugh

“Viktor…are you ok?” Jayce’s eyes were wide with concern.

“I’m fine” he waved off. “It’s just a cold, it will probably-“

“Don’t lie to me.” Jayce frowned at him, voice laced with a slight desperation. “ Please… not after…all that.”

Viktor paused, looking up at his partner. Jayce gave a slight squeeze to his back, his expression worried yet patient. Viktor closed his eyes and took a breath, before looking down at the floor. 

“I’m…getting worse.” Suddenly the floor was very interesting. “Everything is. My leg, my back, and now my lungs.” He admitted; to both Jayce and himself. “I don’t know how much time I have left.”

“Viktor…”

“I’m sorry…I shouldn’t-“ He stammered. “Not when you just-“ 

“It’s ok, I’m-“ Jayce took a breath. “I’m glad you told me.” Jayce took Viktor’s clean hand, entangling their fingers as Viktor met his eyes. “You won’t go through it alone, ok? We’ll find a way to make it better; and cure your cough. I swear it.” Jayce pulled Viktor into a hug, gently pressing his head into the side of Jayce’s unclothed neck. The man’s skin felt like a warm summer day, suffocating Viktor in its warmth and safety. “Thank you for coming here…and being here for me.” He whispered. 

The flush returned to Viktor as Jayce broke the hug, a slight pink sanding Jayce’s face as well. Viktor quickly grabbed his cane and stood up, clearing his throat as his body bashfully turned to the door.

“I’ll go…uh-make us some drinks!” He decided, already walking out of the bedroom and to the kitchen, leaving an equally flustered Jayce still on the bed. 

He searched Jayce’s cupboards for tea and anise, mind racing around how warm Jayce was at such a close vicinity. He could still feel the embrace around his arms, and it made his hands shake as he measured out the ingredients for his sweetmilk and started the water for Jayce’s tea.

Viktor’s body temperature was never as hot as Jayce’s, but he would try to bring the warmth to his partner all the same. 

Jayce ran hot.
.
.
.

Viktor desperately wanted his fire.
.
.
.

Before he mustered the strength to open his eyes again, he could hear the methodical beeping of a hospital monitor next to him indicating steady vitals. He heard voices nearby, a conversation he couldn’t follow between Jayce and his attending nurse. 

“…might take a few days…stops being…”

“thank you…I’ll make sure he…back again…”

“I’ll be back to…waking up soon.”

A few minutes later, his fingers twitched under the bed, slowly regaining his senses, and his eyes flickered open to the white walls of his recovery room.

Jayce was seated in a chair next to the bed, eyes closed but evenly breathing, telling Viktor he was awake. Viktor started to reach out towards him, fingers lightly brushing Jayce’s sleeve, making the other man do a small start as his gaze darted to Viktor.

“Hey.” Jayce greeted, taking Viktor’s outstretched hand in his.

“Jayce...” Viktor tested his voice, which was scratchy and raw from dehydration. Before he could signal to Jayce that he needed water, his partner was already bringing a glass from the nightstand to his lips. 

Viktor drank greedily, several droplets rolling down his chin that he wiped off when the glass was empty. His gaze drifted over his body. He could feel a breathing tube at his nose, and looking down there was an IV stuck in his arm, administering a bag of what he assumed to be pain medication from the pleasant fog in his head. 

It was working, he couldn’t feel any sharp pain at his spine where the procedure had been, but there was a lingering soreness that he yearned to crank out of his joints. He lifted a hand up to his back, fingers grazing over the edges of the upper implant in his spine. The skin around it felt bruised and he gave a slight hiss at the flare of pain.

“The nurse said it’s gonna be sore for a few days. But the operation was successful. The implants should help your spine hold the brace intact.” 

And that was the best case scenario wasn’t it? Viktor should be happy that there wouldn’t be any further complications. 

Instead he felt…empty…and cold. 

“Hey.” One of Jayce’s hands came up to cradle Viktor’s cheek, drawing his attention to his partner. “It’s only temporary alright? As soon as we cure your disease you’ll be strong enough to go without the brace, and then we’ll get the implants removed.” Jayce gave him a reassuring smile.

Viktor returned it, although he didn’t quite believe him. The past year of their partnership was dotted with visits to specialists around Piltover, yet none of the doctors had the experience nor expertise to deal with the effects of the Gray. The doctors in Zaun that they tried, while more familiar with the disease, didn’t have the funding or resources to treat Viktor’s condition at its stage. 

He could tell Jayce hadn’t been taking his decline well either. Their sessions in the lab had a heavy air, weighed down by the looming threat of Viktor’s health. It only got worse with the steady construction of the Hexgates, whose completion was getting closer and closer and needed more attention. Investors and the council alike were no longer passive participants over their research, and their lab had visitors nearly every week to ensure their progress was going as they wanted it to. It was suffocating.

Yet amidst all of the noise, they had each other. Viktor had stopped trying to define their relationship a long time ago, comfortable in their affectionate touches, reassuring words, and longing gazes. It was the closest he had ever been to anyone in his life, but it didn’t scare him. 

It felt natural, falling in love with Jayce Talis. As easy as breathing the clean air in Piltover and as familiar as the rocky fissures of his childhood in Zaun. An unstoppable and destined flame that wholly consumed him without a chance for argument or rebuttal. 

But Viktor would never confess his love for Jayce. There were too many unknowns, too many uncontrollable variables that he couldn’t grapple. He couldn’t approach this like an experiment, and Viktor couldn’t, wouldn’t be able to take the inevitable rejection. 

Not with the way that Jayce often looked at Councilor Medarda, in her shining radiant beauty and perfect poised posture. Everything that Viktor couldn’t be. 

This procedure was just another nail in the coffin (and a few in his spine). Jayce would never want someone so… broken . Not when he was hailed as the Man of Progress throughout Piltover, a true symbol of the city’s innovative capabilities wrapped up in the most gorgeous bachelor in all of Runeterra. 

Still, he relished in the things about Jayce that were just for him. Stolen glances during council meetings when Councilor Hoskel or Salo made a particularly idiotic comment. The way that Jayce had his drink order memorized, and the way that the cup sat on his desk on the increasingly frequent mornings in which Viktor arrived later than Jayce. The small collection of clothes that were piled into an unused dresser in Jayce’s apartment, for when the brace he made Viktor bit too hard into his leg for him to make it all the way back to his residence. 

Those he would keep for himself. They were preciously domestic moments in which Viktor could pretend that Jayce felt the same. 

His heart ached.

He wanted to live. Gods , he wanted to live. Even if it meant never telling Jayce how he felt, or seeing Jayce take another for a romantic partner, Viktor thought it would be worth it just to bask in the man’s sunlight a little longer. 

They had yet to start finding ways to use Hextech to help his people as well, too wrapped up in the demands of the council and their investors, but Viktor hoped he would live long enough to see their vision of progress come to fruition in Zaun side by side with his partner. 

“I can hear you overthinking.” 

Viktor blinked, returning back to reality from his thoughts and looked at Jayce. 

“Just…hang in there ok?” Jayce continued. “We will find a cure. I swear it V.” 

The nurse chose that moment to reappear into the room. She came in with a clipboard, taking notes of random things surrounding Viktor’s body. She had him stand and enact different poses to ensure that the implants wouldn’t stick into any wrong places, before setting down a bottle of medication in front of him for his back pain. He stared at it bitterly, even while the nurse gave him instructions on when to take it over the next few weeks, before announcing that he and Jayce were free to go.

She took her leave, and Jayce handed him the change of clothes he prepared. He slipped on his trousers but before he could begin to latch on his back brace, Jayce stood up and moved behind him. 

“Here, let me help.”

Viktor wanted to refute, he really did, but he still felt the heaviness in his bones from being previously sedated, so he relented with a sigh and sat down on the bed to give Jayce better access. 

“Are you hungry?” Jayce asked between latching together the joints of his brace. “It’s almost sundown and I was thinking we should grab something together before we get you back home.”

At the mention of food, Viktor’s stomach grumbled in want.

“Mm, alright.” He agreed before adding, “But not from the place by the park; their soup is too bland.” Viktor teased, knowing Jayce loved that restaurant. 

The way that Jayce’s face dropped was almost comical, his eyes gleamed like a sad puppy and it made Viktor give a small laugh.

“Fine, fine. How about the one by the docks then? Their stew isn’t half bad, and you said it reminded you of the one they sell in Zaun right?” It did, and it sounded good.

Viktor hummed his approval while he slipped on and buttoned his shirt, Jayce having long since finished helping Viktor with his brace, and grabbed his cane- crutch .

Right…Jayce had modified it to make it easier on Viktor after the procedure. It was working, but he hated the way it pressed up against his shoulder and made him feel stiff when he stood. It was awkward and uncomfortable, but Jayce claimed it was just a temporary measure until he had fully recovered from the procedure. Viktor hoped he was right. 

As he stood, he felt Jayce’s hand press at the small of his back. Whether for comfort or support he couldn’t tell, but he savored the warmth all the same as they left the hospital together, into the starry twilight of Piltover’s evening sky. 

A little longer. Viktor inwardly pleaded; to anyone that might have been listening. 

A little longer with him, please. 

Jayce ran hot.
.
.

He hadn’t noticed lately.
.
.
.

Viktor closed his eyes, drawing in strained breaths from where he sat outside in the academy grounds. Jayce would be back any minute from his confrontation with Silco, and they would head to the council together to discuss the treaty’s results. Until then, he was alone with his thoughts.

Sky…

Viktor rubbed his eyes. What was going on with him? The Hexcore had… killed Sky. But when he tried to destroy it, he physically couldn’t. It was as though there was an irresistible pull, whispering for him to get closer to the device and reach out once more. Even outside, he could feel its draw, beckoning him to the lab where it still perched on its stand. 

He didn’t dare follow its lull. 

It was the last solution to fix himself, but he didn’t want its promises of a cure, not anymore. It had taken Sky’s life and permanently transmuted his leg and hand into a wiry purple entanglement of metal skin. His brace seemed to have fused into his leg as well, gold lining fixed on the purple in the shape that he was intimately familiar with after years of taking it on and off. 

Jayce had agreed to destroy it. Viktor clung to the promise: it was his last chance to make things right. The talk with Silco, if everything went according to plan, would usher in a free and independent Zaun. Even if he wouldn’t live long enough anymore to see Hextech improve the quality of his old home, he could at least see the nation’s shared dream come true. He had faith that Jayce could carry the rest of their ambition. 

He hadn’t seen his partner lately, truth be told. Jayce’s induction into a councilor created a divide between them, and the distance only grew in between his new responsibilities, Viktor’s desperation to find a cure, and their disagreement about the weaponization of their work, which, based on the large hammer Jayce had when he caught Viktor at the ledge, had already happened. 

They both changed. Who over the other he didn’t know, but recently it felt as though their partnership was hanging by a thin thread. 

It hurt to see Jayce get closer to Councilor Medarda too. He thought he could handle seeing Jayce with another, but that was when he also thought the Hexcore was the answer to his medical problems. Now, he couldn’t have either, and it hurt . 

Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise though. Viktor hated the idea of leaving Jayce alone after his body succumbed to the illness, so at least this way Jayce could move on easily. 

A few minutes later, Viktor was basking in the last remnants of the afternoon sun when he heard heavy footsteps coming from his side. He opened his eyes to see Jayce, still donning his regal white and red coat, looking slightly winded. They sat there, for a few moments, until Viktor broke the silence.

“How did the meeting go?” 

“He was…every bit as intimidating as they said.” Jayce wore mixed emotions on his face. “I-I think we came to an agreement though.”

“Any new terms than what we expected?”

“He didn’t take well to our demands for Jinx. I guess I underestimated their relationship.”

Viktor hummed in response. While he was already studying in Piltover when Vander and Silco had taken to power in the Undercity, Silco’s reputation was that of a cruel and calculated kingpin. To hear that he wavered on the life of just one person was…surprising to say at least.

But, Viktor realized, not unfamiliar. Gazing over to the man next to him, Viktor knew that he would go to extreme lengths for his partner; a dark prospect that both steeled him and shook his moral foundations. It was, after all, the reason he found himself digesting the reality that Jayce had created weapons using Hextech and used them to fight his people in Zaun. He was still hurt, immeasurably so, but it seemed his personal rules didn’t apply to Jayce Talis. He was still in love with his partner through it all. 

Finally, after a few more moments, Jayce stood up, offering Viktor his hand. Despite all the events of the past week, he took it, Jayce’s large hand encircling around Viktor’s gloved one. 

His partner pulled him into a tight embrace, a hand coming up to his hair while the other rested on the small of his back. Again, despite everything, Viktor leaned into his warmth. 

“Let’s go…we’ll give all the information we have. Zaun will be free today. I’ll make sure of it.” Jayce spoke into his hair, voice slightly nervous. “It’s gonna be ok…it’s gonna be ok.”

Whether Jayce was comforting himself or Viktor, he wasn’t sure. 

Jayce ran hot.
.
.
.

But Viktor couldn’t feel it anymore.
.
.
.

It’s why he left. 

His new body was…conductive. He could feel every charge in the air, but his senses were clouded.

There was a haze over his vision and he felt…blank. There was no emotion; no anger and no joy at seeing Jayce again. He acknowledged that Jayce broke his promise to destroy the Hexcore, which he could feel thrumming deep beneath his skin, but he could do little more than feel a nebulous irritation at the fact. 

Even the blueprints for more Hextech weapons didn’t faze him. He simply knew that, as it broke his morals surrounding their work, he should take his leave from the lab, and Jayce . 

The thought didn’t affect him as much as he would have expected it to. He could only reflect on their recent partnership without emotions, and it seemed that they drifted too far apart to stay together. Besides, he accepted, Jayce had already chosen Councilor Medarda, it was useless to hope that he’d have a chance. 

Not that he had any desire for it at the moment. He didn’t have much desire for anything, actually. He felt like a puppet, being pulled along an invisible string and his head was too clouded by that recursive haze to resist. 

And yet he stopped, halfway down the hallway from their lab to the stairs, and gripped the blanket around his shoulders. He waited, for a few minutes, in the eerie stillness of an empty academy, forcing down the draw of the Hexcore and looking back at the doors he had just pushed his way out of. 

Jayce didn’t appear. 

He started walking again, using his mangled crutch as a mobility aid that he no longer needed, but used as a familiar comfort to the rhythm of his step.

The pull was back, pushing him somewhere unknown. Viktor sank into it. 

He didn’t have the fire to fight it this time. 

Jayce was cold.
.
.
.

It’s him, ultimately, who brings Viktor back.

For a while after he perfected the world, it was quiet. There was no more thrumming of the Hexcore, and the world itself was still and pliant. The marble mannequins he transformed stood at attention, but did not react when he moved about them. 

He felt nothing as he surveyed the results of the Glorious Evolution . 

He walked around anyway. He was taller than he’d ever could be, and while he knew his face had transformed, gutted and split into two by the face of the arcane itself, he didn’t feel any particular way about it. He was more aware of what he was doing, more in control over his thoughts and agency, but he didn’t feel. He hadn’t ‘felt’ in a long time. 

Viktor traveled through what was left of Piltover. The air was ominous, and husks of human forms littered the streets. He walked by all of the places he was familiar with. The park, the docks, the academy grounds, and… the lab . 

It was like a photograph; pristine and stuck in time. Prototypes were strewn everywhere like they had never left; their waste baskets were still moderately full of crumpled paper; and a Hextech apparatus for controllable temperature sat on Jayce’s workbench. Somehow, despite it being the beginning of it all, this place was untouched by the ravaging of the arcane. 

It was strange, despite his purpose being fulfilled, he still felt the same emptiness that he felt the first time waking up in the lab. The memory of it seemed distant, as were the memories of the years he spent here…with…Jayce.

Jayce , who had died by his hand. 

It all came crashing down.

A blinding light filled his vision and it was as though something shattered as Viktor hit the ground on his knees, gasping for air. Bringing his hands up to his face, he felt skin, and looking down, it seemed his body had transformed again. His skin was once again pale like he used to be familiar with, but parts of it had a webbed pattern splayed across it, as though the arcane itself was embedded into his veins. Mysteriously, the color of the blanket around his shoulders faded entirely, the same arcane pattern dancing on top of it as well. 

Then, his emotions returned.

Guilt was the first feeling. Immeasurable guilt flooded his system as the memories of those he had altered raced through his head. Their faces, frozen in fear, then turned into faceless marble automations. It made him sick. 

Jayce had been the last. The two of them had fought in the Hexgates; Jayce with his hammer and Viktor with the Hexclaw grafted onto his back, until they had reached the very top of the structure. 

By then it was too late, Jayce was the last defender of the city, standing in a sea of statues. He kneeled, shoulders giving out in defeat as Viktor appeared behind him and sunk his wired fingers into the man’s forehead, turning him into a mannequin and completing the Glorious Evolution . 

He was likely still there, Viktor thought, pulling the blanket tighter around him as the room’s draft made him shiver. He stood up, moving to grab anything he could use to cover himself up with. Realistically, there was no one else left to see him like this, but he wrapped himself in some bandages laying around anyways, and fished out one of Jayce’s coats to put over himself as well. 

He looked up towards the ceiling, in the direction he knew the remains of the Hexgates stood. He could undo this. He could. 

He would fix Jayce, beg for the man’s forgiveness, and restore the world with all the arcane energy he could muster in exchange for himself. He would . 

Magic channeled through every nook and cranny of his body. He couldn’t feel any pain in his restored leg as he walked, using his staff simply for balance. He could feel a charge however, in each step, communicating to him that he was subconsciously tapping into the arcane to alleviate the pain. 

It was scary, how long he had been intertwined into the magic for it to become second nature to his mind and body. He still couldn’t feel the thrum of the Hexcore. There was no more pull, no more lies it whispered into his ear about the promises of helping others to perfection. 

But there was no prize to these efforts, only an end to be pursued, and now he was alone.

He tried to shove off the thought as he approached the top of the Hexgates, having climbed his way up from the ground, unwilling to call upon the wild runes that he could see in his mind to transport himself. 

And there he was. Still kneeling, hands grasping the pristine hammer perched in front of him. The crystal embedded in the hammer glowed a deep blue, its energy calling to Viktor from where he stood a ways off. Jayce himself was no more than a marble statue, the features of his face indented onto the smooth stone in a forever expression.

He shivered from the cold from being at that altitude, and approached the statue. Feeling the arcane dance at his fingertips he placed a hand on Jayce’s shoulder and willed his power to restore him.

Nothing happened. 

Viktor couldn’t feel anything underneath the marble. There was no life, no heat, no Jayce. His breathing picked up, hand starting to tremble, and tried again, pushing the arcane through him to undo this mistake. 

But he was truly alone.

He fell to his knees in front of Jayce.

“No, no, no-“ Viktor missed his heat, he realized for the first time since being swept up in the pretty lies of the Hexcore. “-Jayce please .” He begged, cupping the sides of Jayce’s marble face and leaning in to crash their foreheads together in a desperate attempt for the other man’s warmth. Tears streamed down Viktor’s face and he cried into the silence of the air, the marble pressing a chill to his skin.

I miss you

What have I done

I miss you 

I wish you could talk to me again

I miss you

I wish I could undo this

I miss you

I’m sorry

Jayce remained cold.

Eventually, Viktor learned to travel through time. 

If only to escape the crushing guilt of his actions, he had pushed himself into what he knew best: research. He studied the wild runes, slowly learning to read and harness the anomalous magic that was woven into the structure of the arcane. 

He jumped through time and space at random, landing in the various regions of Runeterra at different stages of the past. He had seen Demacia’s beginnings after the Rune Wars (in which he collected stray shards from the aftermath), Shurima and Ionia in the peak of their glory, and even seen Bandle City. 

Wherever he travelled, he concealed himself using the arcane, preferring to stay an uninvolved spectator. He calculated through the consequences of interacting with the past, but was unwilling to risk the possibilities by introducing changes to the timeline. 

In any case, nothing helped him forget . The ice in his heart remained, as did the grief over what he had caused. 

Perhaps it was his penance, to remain a silent observer for eternity.

Ixtal was magnificent. 

Viktor admired the lush jungle around him. There was an undeniable beauty about its chaos and the resourcefulness of its citizens. There was magic too, although it was raw, not in the same way as the wild runes, but through an elemental soul that drummed through nature itself.

There was much to learn from the way that the arcane manifested here. 

Viktor had learned a lot indeed. It seemed that in every jump he made through the anomalies, he found more and more to learn about Runeterra and his own arcane abilities. It was the sort of thing that Jayce would have loved to study, if he were still…

A familiar ache crept up in his chest. The one wound, it seemed, that Viktor could not heal. 

Sighing, he turned away from the scene in front of him where several Vastayan youth were playing by a pond. He held up his palm, and narrowing his eyes, felt the familiar twang through his body as he created another wild anomaly. It burst, encircling his body, and he shut his eyes as his body and mind ripped through the fabric of time and space.

When he came to, he was in a tundra. Snow and wind ripped through the storm around him, where thick snow covered the ground as far as he could see, which wasn’t very far at all. 

Where was he?

It wasn’t unusual to appear somewhere strange, having once teleported to the bottom of the ocean next to Bilgewater or to the top of a tall spire in Demacia, but he couldn’t recognize anything about where he was. 

He started walking forward, aimlessly traversing the icy landscape in hopes of finding anything interesting. The cold didn’t affect him, using the arcane to avoid feeling extreme temperatures. Although it never managed to get rid of the chronic chill he harbored inside. 

After a while, Viktor concluded that there was nothing out there. He brought his staff to the air, ready to cast the wild runes and will them to bring him elsewhere, when he heard a peculiar noise. 

It was small, almost unnoticeable in its weak volume, yet it cut across the blizzard to Viktor’s ears like a hot knife. 

“Help us!” 

Someone was…there? It sounded like a child. He didn’t expect to find any life in this storm, especially not a voice so small. 

He trudged on with renewed strength, hoping to find the source of the voice. 

“Help us, please! Someone!” 

Getting closer, he could make out the two figures through the haze of the storm. It was indeed a child, and they were bent over a slender adult laying on the snow, hand outstretched as though they had been dragging something before they collapsed. Then, the child turned.

And golden eyes met his. 

Viktor’s hand clenched around his staff as he stared at the boy…no, as he stared back at Jayce. It had been so long since he had seen his partner in flesh and blood and not the marble statue of the present. The young boy’s face was flushed, mittens holding his hood still against the wind, and his eyes went wide as he stared back at Viktor in disbelief.

“Hey-hey!! Help us! Please!” Jayce begged, voice carrying alarm and desperation as Viktor continued to stare. 

Why was Jayce here? What did this mean? The wild runes had dropped him somewhere in time and space, meaning that this couldn’t have been a dream. The boy was hunched over what Viktor could now recognize as Ximena Talis, but why were the two of them in this storm?

Oh.

Viktor was suddenly dropped back to the memory of that day when he had gone to check on Jayce in the winter. This was his partner’s childhood, when he and his mother had gotten lost and caught in the blizzard, which meant that they were to be saved by an…arcane mage.

Oh.

Faintly, he could still hear Jayce calling out to him, but there was a deafening ringing in his ears and a thundering drumbeat that he could pick out to be his own heart. It was him. It was always him. Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes and he dropped to his knees, hands at a death grip on the staff to keep himself balanced. 

He risked a glance back up at the boy, whose expression was still stricken and fearful. He and his mother would likely die soon if Viktor didn’t interfere.

But Viktor’s mind raced back to the present. To countless marble automations littered across the world, desecrated beyond repair by the arcane. And Viktor himself, as the lone herald in the quiet ruin. If he didn’t save Jayce, if he let him die , the world would be free, he would be free.

It was easy in theory: just walk away. There was nothing for miles to help them beyond Viktor and the pair wouldn’t survive much longer. 

Jayce let out another cry, and Viktor knew he couldn’t do it. 

This was his partner, the one he shared years of his life with. The one who held his shoulders steady when they had first harnessed the arcane together. The one who had painstakingly crafted a beautiful cane for Viktor when he noticed his was insufficient. The one who defended him against the prejudice of Piltover’s elite class. The one who had panicked at the mere idea of Viktor being alone in a storm. The one who was there when he woke up in the hospital, fresh after a surgery. The one who brought him back to life with the device he promised to destroy because he could not bear the idea of letting him go . 

In that moment, staring at his partner’s younger self, Viktor knew he couldn’t let go either. 

He stood up, raised his staff to the sky once more, and swung it, drawing out the runes like second nature. He fished out a blank rune crystal from his pockets, embedding the protection rune onto its surface, and watched it glow in activation. 

Viktor felt the familiar pull of its magic, and gripped both Jayce and his mother with the arcane, before sending the three of them skipping across space until they ended up in a grassy field. 

It was a beautiful, peaceful place that he previously discovered during his travels. The air was warm, perfumed by the multitude of blossoms around them, and a light breeze danced through the valley. 

The small rustling of footsteps broke him out of his reverie. Jayce approached him, his young face wearing the same familiar awe that Viktor had seen on his grown partner whenever they’d reach a breakthrough in the lab. It was cute, the younger version of the man’s chubby boyishness. There was none of the lines of stress that marked Jayce’s face, earned after years of tolerating the council and investors and probably Viktor’s bad days too. It also held none of the aggression that Viktor had faced right before he ended the world, a look he had spent years unsuccessfully trying to forget. 

Behind them, Ximena had woken up as well, and was cautiously watching the pair. The fingers that were previously outstretched in the snow ran an angry purple that made Viktor inwardly wince at the sight of, she would likely need an amputation. Although, it explained the prosthetic he had seen her wore whenever they met that he was too polite to ask about. 

He turned his attention back to Jayce, who was still looking up at him in awe and expectancy. He glanced down to his palm, where the rune crystal still sat, and ran his fingers over the surface. 

He realized then that it was the very crystal that sat embedded on the leather band that Jayce always wore. 

Something didn’t make sense though, Jayce’s crystal was blank, while Viktor had etched a rune onto this crystal. Theoretically, this minor detail could cause a heavy butterfly effect in the timeline, but perhaps…that was the solution?

Having resolved himself, Viktor held out his hand, motioning for Jayce to do the same, and dropped the crystal into the boy’s awaiting palms.

He felt a little breathless. This was the moment, the spark that ignited Jayce’s passion about the arcane that would set the world down a path of both discovery and annihilation. He couldn't find himself regretting his decision to save him however. This was Jayce , the man he loved. He would always save him. 

He backed up, summoning another anomaly in his palm to traverse through time and space once more. This time he had a destination though. He had to return to his present, to see if this miniscule change he imposed on the timeline could change the trajectory of the it’s future and prevent Viktor from ruining the world. 

He met the small pair of golden eyes once more before blinding colors filled his vision. He hoped for the best. 

It wasn’t enough, in the end. 

None of them were.

Viktor had seen countless pasts. Countless versions of Jayce in the snow, calling out for help. In each version, he transported Jayce and his mother to safety in the green field. In each version, he gave Jayce the rune crystal, etched with different runes in each timeline. But in each version, Jayce never succeeded in stopping Viktor. 

In some timelines, the Hexgates are never built. Instead, other Hextech apparati take its place, but the invention of the Hexcore remains constant and ultimately leads to the world’s demise by Viktor’s hand. 

There were other differences. A world where Viktor was too late to stop Jayce from jumping from his apartment, causing him to develop Hextech by himself. There was a timeline in which their partnership broke off, their morals too opposite, leading to the two of them becoming bitter enemies. There was even a universe where Hextech was never discovered at all, the explosion in Jayce’s apartment having killed a child so that the man was immediately expelled from Piltover.

None of it was enough to fix the present. Every time Viktor returned from the past, he was still met with the sight of Jayce’s marbled form, foliage beginning to grow around his warping shape and hammer in his hand gradually corrupting, no doubt a consequence of Viktor’s constant tampering with the wild runes. 

He wasn’t sure how long it’d been. His time was split either saving the younger versions of Jayce, or leaning against his present version, where he lamented his actions and apologized for making his partner go through the suffering time and time again. 

Around them, the world slowly changed. It seemed as though the timelines were converging into his present. In the ruin, he could see structures that weren’t previously present in his world. Likewise, his own awareness of the timelines grew, being able to see and observe them as they played out. 

Then one day, it all came to a head. 

He had been resting by Jayce’s form, the marble statue almost unrecognizable if not for the hammer still clenched in its hands. His guilt no longer felt like an open wound, but rather a deep scar, sure to stick with him for as long as he lived but unable to do more than cause phantom pains. 

Truth be told, he was tired. Each failed attempt at fixing the present disheartened him more and more, but he persisted despite the heaviness in his bones to do so. 

Perhaps it was cruel. Viktor had watched too many versions of Jayce fall. Sometimes, it was to Viktor when he appeared at the commune, pristine hammer in hand ready to stop him. All it took was a gentle smile, some reassuring words, and Jayce lowered his weapon, dooming the world. 

Sometimes he succeeded in killing Viktor, but was unprepared for the war that followed, leading to his demise at the Hexgates. Thus was the story of his own Jayce. 

But that day, he awoke from his dreamless sleep to a feeling of wrongness in the atmosphere around him. Through the arcane, he could feel the presence of another, making his heart race with anxiety. 

He steeled himself, the marble under his fingers cold yet steady, before teleporting to the other beings location. 

It was Jayce.

This was… unprecedented . 

Viktor didn’t know what to do. Jayce was unresponsive in the grime, his white coat quickly becoming sullied in the muck and his uncorrupted hammer an arm’s reach away. No other version of Jayce had ever travelled through the wild runes, and certainly not to Viktor’s time. He watched as the other man roused from unconsciousness, groggily surveying the ruin around him. 

Jayce stood up, grabbing his hammer when it sputtered and stopped glowing, as though its arcane charge had given out. This Jayce called out to the thick haze around him, and Viktor approached.

“It’s you.” Jayce said, recognizing Viktor’s cloaked figure. “Did you bring me here?”

Viktor was about to respond, but glanced around at their surroundings. They were at the bottom of the undercity, in the worst parts of the sump. If he talked or revealed himself he had no doubt that Jayce would start asking questions, and this wasn’t the place for that. So instead of an answer, Viktor turned around and started walking, hoping Jayce would follow him. 

Somewhere along the way he lost Jayce. The other man was no longer following him and he couldn’t feel his presence as strongly as before, possibly due to the dead arcane in the hammer. 

He sighed, rubbing his temples to prepare himself to do something he had vowed not to do again. Viktor pushed his consciousness through the sea of automations, using their bodies to look around and locate Jayce. 

He found him near the surface of Zaun, and reached out to grab his attention. Multiple automations moved at once, arms all reaching out towards Jayce. The other man let out a frightened shout at the sight, and started running through the field of mannequins.

Viktor wanted to stop Jayce and get him to calm down, but the automations he controlled weren’t fast enough to catch him or avoid his swinging hammer. He started to get frustrated, pushing his will on more and more mannequins until Jayce tripped over something on the ground and fell…straight into a ravine.

Oops. 

Jayce ended up being down there for several months.

His leg was severely fractured, and this version of his partner had to dismantle parts of the hammer to form a brace. The brace’s form was crude, nothing like the polished one Jayce had once gifted him, but it was an impressive testament to the man’s resourcefulness in the fissure. 

As was the rest of the time there. 

Viktor was prepared to meet Jayce down there and apologize for scaring him, but by the time he had travelled there, he found him asleep by a small fire.

“Viktor…’M sorry V.” Jayce mumbled in his sleep. 

Viktor’s heart ached for him. Over time, he had come to reflect on what Jayce had gone through in the time prior to their violent reunion in the commune, and wholly regretted leaving him in the lab after he had woken up. He forgave his partner for being unwilling to let Viktor go, now understanding with his own devotion to saving Jayce’s younger self in every timeline. 

He just wished Jayce had shown him sooner.

Staring down at this version, Viktor felt his heart reignite with hope. Maybe this one could succeed. He understood that it had to be Jayce, in any possibility. It could only be him. 

To be sure, he observed Jayce over the next few months. The other man spent his days hunting around the bottom of the fissure, finding small critters to cook with the fire he kept using scavenged materials. On the walls of the cavern, he sprawled out calculations and diagrams of a wild rune, aiming to understand its properties and how it brought him to this time. 

Jayce had never failed to impress Viktor, and this version was no different. 

Occasionally, Jayce talked to himself while he worked on the calculations, a familiar habit that made Viktor’s chest tight at the reminder of their days in the lab. He rambled about a boy named Ekko, wondering where the wild rune had sent him and Heimerdinger. 

Heimerdinger? This truly was a peculiar version of the timeline. In Viktor’s universe, he had never seen nor heard about the professor following his expulsion from the council. But any change, he supposed, was a possibility to stop the demise.

Jayce had a fiery determination. Each day, he tested his leg, attempting to climb out of the ravine. From the carvings on the walls, Viktor knew that he was trying to reach the Hexgates to find answers about the anomaly. 

What did surprise Viktor was the way that Jayce constantly apologized to his other self. When Viktor first reunited with Jayce in his timeline, the other’s eyes were cold as he killed him. Viktor was confused about Jayce’s unrelenting determination to stop him from what he had believed to be helping others until it was too late, and he lived thus far with the presumption that Jayce hated him in the end.

But this version of his partner, so much alike his own, muttered apology after apology into the air. On one bad night, while Jayce laid by the fire with tears in his eyes, he began pleading to his Viktor to forgive him, that he couldn’t bear to let him die, that he loved him .

It made Viktor turn away, wracked by the realization that his partner had returned his affections all along.

***

Eventually, Jayce climbed out. His clothes were tattered and his hair was longer and he sported a new beard but he got out.

Viktor thought it was unfair how attractive he looked. 

He waited for Jayce at the top of the Hexgates’ remains, standing beside his own in anticipation. It was almost unnoticeable, but he swore he could feel a faint beat within the statue, as though it was responsive to the presence of his other self. 

***

Jayce panted as he reached the top, falling to his knees in front of his future self. His eyes grew wide in horror as he slowly realized who he was looking at, but his gaze dropped as he started talking. 

“This is where it all started, isn’t it. The end of Piltover. Because of Hextech.” Jayce’s gaze shot up to Viktor as he continued, gripping his arm band. “Why did you ever give me this?” Jayce asked while shaking his head slightly. “Why?!”

Because I can’t let you go either.

“It doesn’t have to go this way right? Tell me there’s a chance!”

Viktor paused for a moment before he glanced up, revealing his face to a shocked Jayce. He let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding at the feeling of Jayce really seeing him for the first time.

“I thought that I could bring an end to the world’s suffering.” He admitted, voice slightly rough from disuse over the years. “But when every equation was solved…” He glanced down at his version of Jayce, regret filling him once again. “All that remained…were fields of dreamless solitude.” 

Across from him, Jayce stared at his future self in disbelief, but a heavy acknowledgment twinkled in his eyes. 

“There is no prize to perfection. Only an end to pursuit.” Viktor continued, recalling how he felt when he had first woken back up in the aftermath. Even then, it was the memories of Jayce that brought him back. 

“In all timelines, in all possibilities… only you could show me this.” And Viktor knew it was true, from the deepest parts of his heart. It was Jayce all along. The key. In every universe. 

He placed his hand on the marble Jayce’s shoulder, feeling the pulse from within as the statue’s hands bent the corrupted hammer towards the other version, who stood up to grip it. Viktor winced as two fingers were left behind when his Jayce unclenched his grip from the hammer, but turned his attention back to the other Jayce.

His golden eyes seemed to blaze with the fire of his determination, and the lines on his face were heavy as he spoke to Viktor once more.

“Send me back, I won’t fail. I swear it .”

Viktor nodded, holding his palm outstretched to call upon the wild runes. As the anomaly burst, surrounding them in the familiar litany of colors and light, Viktor embedded the acceleration rune on the man’s wrist, opening a connection between Jayce and the arcane to send him visions of failed universes. He was familiar with the many ways other versions of him could reset Jayce’s resolve, and decided to take no chances.

He looked again to this version of Jayce one last time, sending him a gentle and affectionate smile before pushing him through the arcane back to his universe. 

He panted and shook with exhaustion, falling to the ground next to the empty-handed statue. He prayed that Jayce wouldn’t fail. 

For some reason, the exhaustion was unrelenting. He had never felt such a lingering loss of energy from using the arcane, and he could do little more than slump against Jayce’s marble form.  

Viktor wasn't sure how long it had been since he had sent the other version of Jayce back. He lost track of the days, blacking in and out of consciousness as time seemed to blend together.

But one day, there was…a shift in the air. A dizzying sense of peace that swirled in the stillness around them. Viktor felt an ancient tension within him unfurl, releasing as the arcane within him stirred without his control. He felt thrown off balance, nauseous despite being propped up against Jayce’s form, the moss along his figure tickling Viktor’s face with every breath. His hand alternated from idly tracing along the foliage to actively gripping it to steady himself against the onslaught of vertigo from the sensation. His voice slightly quivered as he asked in a hushed whisper,

“Do you think they did it…Jayce?”

The arcane’s movement was like a flurry, but he felt his senses start to dull, fighting to keep his hold on reality as the world around them slowly faded into starlight. Jayce’s body acted as his only anchor grounding him from the endless expanse.

Viktor struggled to hold on, fighting to keep his mind as it started to be pulled away from his slumped body. 

But then

Although it was small

Although he may have just imagined it

He felt a warmth emanating from the surface below. As though protective arms blanketed him against a steady form, holding him impossibly closer with a heated press against his temple.

“Hey.” It whispered. “They did it V, you can let go now.”

Viktor trembled, closing his eyes as tears began to fall.

“I missed you so much. You must have been so lonely.”

Viktor was sobbing, cries wracking through his body with the force of a blizzard.

“It’s time to go, we can’t stay here anymore.”

They had truly done it. Viktor’s reality didn’t exist anymore, erased by the success of the other versions of themselves. He shuddered, releasing the last of the tension within him as he gazed up to Jayce in the astral plane. 

He was smiling at Viktor, golden eyes full of gentle adoration and hair wispy and white with starlight. He was ethereal, Viktor thought, as beautiful as the day he took his life and every day before then. 

“I love you.” He finally confessed, reverent and weighted from all the years of his silent yearning. “I’m sorry it took me so long to say.”

Jayce’s gaze somehow softened further, one of his glowing hands coming up to push Viktor’s hair out of his face and tuck it behind his ear.

“I love you too. In this universe and every other one. I love you so impossibly much.”

Jayce leaned down from where he held Viktor, a hand coming to Viktor’s nape to guide him closer.

And Viktor leaned in, eyes fluttering shut, and smiled as he let go of reality against Jayce’s lips.

They were warm, together.  

And in another time - another top of the world - a lone warped hammer crumbled into the wind.