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Jayce was, as was his default state since the Hexgates finished construction, nervous.
This was far from his first ever journalistic interview, — hell, his status as a Talis had him answering reporter’s short questions from the age of seven — but it was just about his third time being interviewed by anyone from outside of Piltover. Although, if he was being realistic, he’d probably feel just as nervous going into his sixty-third interview.
It was fine though, because he had his partner Viktor by his side, and it was practically Viktor’s part time job to swoop in and rescue Jayce’s numerous failures. From telling him he was using confectioner’s sugar instead of the proper mineral powder the other day, to keeping him off a literal ledge, Viktor held the most important job in the HexTech operation: Stopping Jayce from being stupid.
Taking a deep breath, Jayce turned to his partner with a warm smile and a squeeze of his hand, “It’s showtime, V.”
“Always with the dramatics, hm?” Viktor rolled his eyes, but his tone was warm and his hand squeezed back.
—
The interview room was the closest thing you could get to intimate within the limits of professionalism, a medium-sized room with a plush couch facing two slightly less plush chairs, both of which were already occupied by the journalists. Jayce hadn’t met either of them before, but he’d been informed ahead of time of their general profiles, so he more or less knew what to expect. Athabetha, the journalist from Piltover, was rather up-and-coming, with not a ton of experience but a good bit of renown for her multi-national coverage, and Jayce could always respect a polyglot. Wildehelme, the journalist from a rather far away nation called Targon, was quite unfamiliar to Jayce and apparently the people arranging the interview, but Targon was an important player in the HexGates’ global development because of their heavy reliance on imports.
Sitting down on the couch next to Viktor, Jayce couldn’t help but feel some odd nagging sense that he was somehow sitting wrong, or his hair was in the wrong place, but he knew it was just his nerves messing with him. Even if he was sitting wrong, it wouldn’t affect an interview about science.
“It’s great to meet you two, I’ve been quite personally curious about HexTech’s development, so this is a wonderful opportunity.” Says Athabetha, a polite smile on her face that looks well-trained.
“Of course, it’s a great opportunity for us to be more informative about our science, since developments like this one are always a public issue, in my opinion.” Jayce responds, shaking her hand firmly and waiting as Viktor does the same.
“I say, your Piltover city has been great to explore. The food here is special comparison to Targon.” Wildehelme speaks in odd grammar but without any trace of an accent, so Jayce figures that if he can understand what the question means it’ll be fine.
“I’m glad you’re enjoying our localities, I hope the rest of your trip isn’t ruined by this interview,” Jayce laughs, with another firm handshake. He notices out of the side of his eye that Viktor gives Wildehelme a much warmer smile than most people get, likely out of some sort of bilingual empathy, and Jayce almost feels jealous.
“Interviews cannot ruin.” The journalist blinked, seeming confused by the joke. Jayce hesitates, unsure of how to explain a punchline-less joke, but he was rescued quickly.
“Speaking of interviews, let’s get to it, shall we?” Viktor clapped his hands together as if excited, when they both know he’s going to nap for 5 hours after this is over.
“If you don’t mind me going first,” Athabetha speaks up, “I’d like to ask what sort of limitations and differences there might be between cargo transport ships travelling through HexGates, and those transporting passengers?”
“Ah, great question.” Jayce allows a small, barely noticeable pause in case Viktor wants to jump in, “I believe the HexGates will be mostly used for cargo shipping purposes in its early stages, since a lot of people out there are going to be understandably hesitant about teleporting their only mortal form, but the HexGates are entirely safe for both human and inanimate transport, excluding a bit of seasickness.”
“I’d call it HexSickness,” Viktor cuts in with a small smile.
They all let out polite chuckles at the quip, and Wildehelme scribbles rather ferociously in his notebook while preparing his question, before clearing his throat with true dramatic flair.
“Does Jayce Talis is gay?”
There’s a pause, and although it logically couldn’t have been longer than fifteen seconds, Jayce feels like he spent an eternity trying to mentally reroute himself out of interview-mode and into whatever-the-fuck-he’s-meant-to-do-now-mode.
“Um, no, I’m not gay.” He says rather clearly, doing what he can to cover for Viktor’s barely contained fit of giggling, as if Jayce talking confidently enough meant nobody would notice how his partner's face turned from pasty European to tomato within seconds.
Clearly the only professional in the room, Athabetha quickly piped up, “And what is your input on countries like Shurima choosing to oppose HexGate construction on their land until full safety is proven?”
“W-Well, I’m of course disappointed that they don’t trust in Piltover’s rigorous safety checks,” Jayce responded, caught slightly off guard but eternally thankful that the conversation had been diverted, “But I’m sure they’ll be more open to the HexGates after a year or so of safe global use.”
Athabetha moved to write down his response, and without missing a beat Wildehelme cleared his throat again, “Why are you gay?”
Jayce was losing his patience. If this is what being a councilor entailed, he was going to step down by the end of the week. “I’m not gay. Who said I’m gay?”
There was a pause, as if Wildehelme was genuinely considering the question and pondering who had given him the information that Jayce was supposedly gay, “You are gay.”
Jayce always thought he had a reasonably alright poker face, but it’s a rule of life that there’s no better way to get to know someone than to spend multiple years cooped up in a lab with them, so Viktor could practically hear the thread of Jayce’s already thin patience snap. A consolatory pat on the head -- akin to ruffling a dog’s ears as an apology for putting it into a carrier cage -- likely wouldn’t help anything, but it would be really funny for Viktor, so he did it anyway as he unsubtly addressed Athabetha, “Jayce is not gay, he’s merely a scientist. Speaking of which, the HexGates.”
“Y-Yes. If there were any practical safety risks to arise in the future, how would they be addressed?” Athabetha hastily scribbled something in her notebook, clearly expecting the other journalist’s line of questioning to go on longer.
“Great question, and depending on what the safety risk is, it would either be up to the Hexecutive managers,” Viktor strongly objected to that name, so Jayce shot his partner an annoying smirk and always put extra emphasis on it while speaking, “Or Viktor and I, if it’s a notable structural issue. Before the HexGates entered into public use we already devised multiple failsafes for theoretical problems, so I doubt there will be many issues anytime soon.”
Clearly trying to avoid any further mockery of the journalistic profession, Athabetha began her next question, “And what was the-“ Before immediately being cut off by another unnecessarily loud clearing of the throat. Clearly, Wildehelme wasn’t done.
“Do Jayce and Viktor do gay together?”
Jayce felt his blood pressure rise, and Viktor gave him another consolatory pat on the back, which he honestly wished helped him less, “No.” They answered in synch.
Wildehelme cleared his throat another fucking time, “Have Jayce and Viktor done gay together?”
“No.” They answered again, voices less harmonious as Viktor struggled to stave off his laughter.
Wildehelme made another attempt at hacking up whatever furball was caught in his throat, “Will Jayce and Viktor do gay together?”
“No.” Jayce attempted to say, but his words were hard to interpret through his depressed sigh. Viktor, meanwhile, was hard to understand through the giggles wracking his frame, and Jayce knew that this was gonna leave him coughing for the rest of the afternoon, “Maybe.”
If he didn’t desperately want to talk about HexTech again, Jayce might’ve questioned that. Wildehelme, however, held very different values.
“When will Jayce and Viktor do gay together?”
“We’re not gay!” Jayce cried, having entirely forgotten his PR manners, “We’re scientists! We’re scientists who would like to talk about our science, dammit!”
Viktor’s consolatory patting had somehow moved to Jayce’s upper thigh at this point, which probably wasn’t helping him beat the allegations, but at the same time there shouldn’t be any allegations in the first place. They were entirely straight male colleagues, if you ignored anything that happened past 4 shots.
“Yes, I think it’d be best if we returned to our conversation about the HexGates.” Athabetha pitched in, side-eyeing Wildehelme, who seemed to be growing increasingly distressed.
“So who is gay?”
Jayce felt like screaming. He just wanted to explain the trade facilities of his teleportation machine, but apparently it mattered more to the world who he kissed. He envied Viktor, at least his partner found this whole homonormative nightmare to be humourous.
“You are.” Viktor responded with full confidence, somehow ridding himself of his previous shaking and laughter to sternly inform Wildehelme of his own sexuality, as if he was the Great Honourable King Gay who ordained all of the globe’s gays.
“I…” Seemingly taking it seriously, Wildehelme looked like he was about to cry, “What am I going to tell my wife?!”
Athabetha rolled her eyes, patting her fellow journalist on the back when he curled up in his chair and began sobbing. “You two should probably go, we can reschedule another interview.”
“T-That’d be greatly appreciated, thank you.” Jayce stuttered, astonished both by how genuinely Wildehelme took the declaration of his homosexuality as well as how unfazed Viktor seemed by it, even as the one giving the declaration.
Getting up off the couch, the two of them left the interview suite and began their path back to their lab, but Jayce just couldn’t stay silent the whole trip, “How did you get him to do that? I was about to pull my hair out trying to get him to shut up, but you just… broke him. He even spoke with proper grammar.”
Viktor’s voice was hollow, sounding almost haunting, “I have no idea. It’s as if something else entirely overcame me, like another person took root in my body.”
Jayce reached out, clasping Viktor’s trembling hand in his own, “Do you think doing some gay together might help?”
Viktor laughed, and for a moment he forgot the way his limbs felt unsteady, “Yes. Yes, I think that would do the trick.”
—
One week later, the Targon Tribune newspaper sells out its weekly copy almost instantly, the masses of the country all dying to read the new issue. On the front page, with a large photo of the HexTech duo holding a trophy together, the headline read “THE RUMOUR COME OUT: DOES JAYCE TALIS IS GAY?”
The exclusive interview is incredibly popular in foreign countries that don’t have regular communications with Piltover, and because Athabetha had postponed her interview to a later date, the story spread across the globe as one of the only first person sources on the inventors of HexTech, and soon the issue had made its way all the way back to Piltover, and to the front door of one Mel Medarda.
“Oh,” She muttered to herself, taking a sip of her coffee as she read the headline of the paper that mysteriously arrived on her doorstep, “Maybe I should hold back on the flirting, then. Give that little science twink a chance.”
Little did she know, her choice to ally homosexuality would indirectly lead to proper air filters being built in the fissures and mines of the undercity, and the eventual full emancipation of Zaun as an autonomous, fully functioning and independent nation.