Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

This was all so stupid. Piltover was stupid and his dad was stupid for making him go to this godforsaken academy. The imposing building started to appear over the rooftops and the sight made his stomach turn. He knew this would be hell. Pilties with their rich parents and prejudice against Zaunites, he would be forced to spend time with these people every day. He would most likely last maybe a week before begging his father to let him come home. But anyone who knew Silco knew that he was stubborn and if he wanted his son at the academy then that’s where he would be. Silco had gone out of his way to get him into the academy and supported Viktor in his studies. Even though he knew this was the best thing for him he still felt resentment towards the whole idea of studying in Piltover.

He had been to Piltover before, only for short periods of time but he still had a pretty good grasp on what people were like there. Nothing like zaunites. Nothing like him. He knew none of them would like him, he knew it didn't matter how smart he was or how nice he was he would still always be nothing more than a dangerous zaunite. The thought of receiving that type of treatment caused his anxiety to grow with every step he took towards The Academy.

He was out of his comfort zone at the moment and nothing felt familiar, but at least his cane was still like it always was. He tightened his grip on it slightly, trying to calm his racing heart and ground himself as he finally reached The Academy. The building was so clean and fancy and so…Piltover. The realization was starting to settle in, he was actually about to start at the Academy. He didn't know if the feeling in his gut was a sort of anticipation or just regular anxiety but nonetheless he had to ignore it and focus. He had to remind himself of what he was here for, the classes, the library, the labs where he could invent and make an actual difference. He glanced around at the other students and he noticed they were staring. Did they know about him? It’s not exactly usual for a kid from Zaun to be taken into the academy. For the first time Viktor hoped people were staring because of his leg. 

He continued his walk over the courtyard and ignored the eyes burning at the back of his head. If he tried hard enough he could learn to just ignore them all. When he finally entered the building he looked around to try and find some sort of reception so he could get his schedule. There was a front desk with a woman sitting by a computer and she glanced up at Viktor and raised her eyebrows. 

“Excuse me...My name is Viktor and I’m here to get my schedule”, he said and tried his best to tone his accent down, already trying not to stick out too much.

“Viktor what? What's your last name?”  she said and he took a deep breath. He knew this question would come up sooner or later but he still felt a pang of irritation surge through him.

“No last name…just Viktor”, he said, already knowing what was coming next.

“Oh right, the special case from Zaun”, she said and started typing on her computer. Special case? Did she just call him a special case right in front of his face? Viktor sighed and closed his eyes. This was gonna be a long day.

After a while she handed him a paper and he thanked her before continuing his walk through the lavishing hall. He reached the bottom of the stairs and sighed. He hated stairs. It was a pain in his leg and it would take an eternity to get to…the fourth floor. He remembered his old elementary school. It was in a run down building and you had to climb up a ladder to reach it. What a pain. He pushed the old memory down and focused on getting to his lesson. 

He finally reached the top of the stairs and navigated the floor until he found his classroom. He entered it and it was still mostly empty. Maybe it was weird of him to show up this early. The professor stood by the blackboard and she greeted him with a nod. He returned the gesture before sitting down at the back of the classroom. After sitting down he picked up his notebook from his bag, already trying to melt into the background, like he always did. The time passed quickly and when he looked up again the classroom was almost full. Young students were everywhere, socializing and the scene made him tense up. He was used to this, being left out and ignored. But that was okay since he wasn’t here to make friends anyways, he was here to get the best education so he could be a great inventor. He didn’t have to talk to all of these people, he could just keep to himself and hope that no one decided to strike up a conversation with him. 

After a while the teacher introduced herself as Mrs Sanders and started the lesson. All students sat in total silence as she threw them right into this semester's study material. She had a fast tempo and he could see that everyone around him was struggling already. He had to admit that this was much harder than anything he had to learn in Zaun but that only caused excitement to stir him. Finally something challenging. Finally a reason to be here.

After about twenty minutes the door flew open with a loud bang. Everyone stopped what they were doing, including the teacher, to look at the newcomer. A boy, a strangely…pretty boy? Even though his hair was messed up and he looked like he just rolled out of bed Viktor still couldn't help but find him quite attractive. He was tall with broad shoulders and his chest was heaving slightly from being out of breath. Mrs Sanders stared at him as he gave her an apologetic charming smile, which also revealed his small tooth gap. 

"I'm sorry…I um…overslept. Jayce, Jayce Talis”, he said and shook the teacher's hand. The gesture clearly surprised the teacher and a few students giggled. 

“I’ll let it go since it’s the first day but don’t let it be a habit, Mr Talis”, Mrs Sanders said sternly and gestured for Jayce to sit down. 

Jayce’s hazle eyes scanned the classroom and landed on the seat beside Viktor, which was the only empty one left. He flashed Viktor a blindingly bright smile and hurried over to sit down. Viktor snapped out of the trans the boy had put him in and looked down at his notes again. A pale blush was beginning to spread on Viktor's face and he tried to drive it away with pure willpower. Hopefully the boy hadn't noticed him staring.

He could sense the boy’s gaze on him but tried his best to ignore him. It’s probably nothing anyways and he’s probably just imagining it. After class Viktor hurried to gather his stuff and exit the classroom as soon as possible but a voice behind him caught his attention.

“Hey…um could I maybe borrow your notes?” Jayce said and it made Viktor turn around again. He looked the boy up and down before answering. 

“Em…sure, you can give them back to me at lunch or something”, Viktor said and handed him his notes before turning around to leave again. He really didn’t want to make conversation with this boy. He didn’t want to make conversations with anyone.

“Thank you so much…what’s your name?” Jayce asked.

“It’s Viktor”, he said before leaving, not even sparing Jayce a second glance.

Jayce was left alone in the classroom. Surprised and a little shocked that this boy didn’t seem to have any interest in talking with him. A situation Jayce had never experienced before. Curiosity took over and he quickly hurried over to the door to watch the strange boy walk down the hallway. 

Viktor had picked a quiet corner to eat his lunch in. He had predicted that he wouldn’t be quite as successful on the social part as he was on the academic part so he brought a book to keep him company. He had his leg stretched out in front of him and his cane leaning on a nearby chair, trying to make himself as comfortable as possible. There were a lot of noice around him, people chatting and laughing and making new friends, he of course avoided partaking in any of it. Viktor was used to isolation and loneliness. He was quite comfortable there in his solitude and he had completely forgotten about everything around him, deep into his own thoughts like always. That was until Jayce entered the canteen and immediately spotted him and approached.

“Hey…thanks for the notes”, he said and it caused Viktor to glance up at him briefly. While smiling Jayce handed the notes over to Viktor, who simply nodded in response before returning to his reading. There was a few seconds of silence before Jayce decided to speak up again.

“Mind if I sit down?”  He asked and it shocked Viktor a little. Sit here? with him? He was used to other kids asking to copy his notes but no one had ever asked to sit with him at lunch. His immediate thought was to say no but something about Jayces smile was so…inviting, so charming and kind that Viktor felt like he actually would like for him to sit down.

"No um...if course", Viktor said, trying to make his voice as neutral as possible. Jayce pulled out a chair and sat down beside Viktor and to his surprise Viktor immediately returned his attention to the book again. 

Jayce was a very taken aback by Viktor's behavior. He seemed so isolated and was clearly not initiating conversation. Jayce was used to people throwing themself at him, everyone he had ever met just seemed to adore him, but not this boy. He simply sat there without saying a word. Jayce studied Viktor's features with great interest, the pale skin and brown hair and amber eyes. He noticed dark circles under his eyes and the moles on his face and neck. Something about Viktor seemed to have a sort of affect on him, a kind of magnetic pull that made Jayce curious to know more about him. So he decided to try and strike up a conversation.

“Where are you from?” Jayce asked. Figuring it was regular small talk and a way to get to know this strange boy better. But the question immediately caused Viktor tense up and he took a deep breath before slowly putting his book down in order to look at Jayce.

“Zaun”, he said in a short tone, hoping that answer wouldn't lead to more questions.

“Oh, it’s rare for The Academy to accept Zaunites. Is it nice there?” Jayce asked with a genuine curiosity. Viktor scoffed at the question and stared at Jayce with and offended look on his face. What an idiotic question. Obviously it wasn’t nice there, it’s Zaun. Viktor, hostile as he was by nature, immediately saw this as some sort of jab at his background and decided to shut the subject down before Jayce could continue his futile attempts on conversation. 

“It’s like any other place. And before you ask, no I'm not in a gang, I didn't cheat on the entrance exam and no I didn’t blow a professor to get in here”, he muttered angrily while collecting his stuff from the table. The sudden change in Viktor's tone caused Jayce's brows to furrow.

“What…um no I didn’t mean it like that I was just-”, Jayce said, fumbling with his words as he tried to make it clear that he really didn’t mean anything with the comment. 

“No I won’t take any of that, okay? Just leave me alone, borrow notes from someone else next time”, he said before standing up with the help of his cane. Jayce watched as Viktor walked away with a baffled expression plastered on his face. What did he do wrong?

Viktor was hurrying out of the cafeteria at fastest possible speed. He knew this would happen. He knew that someone would bring up his background and they would ask questions and the harassment would start all over again. He knew coming here was a mistake. He wanted to be at home with his gadgets and his books and he wanted to check in on Jinx. He knew she was probably nervous without him there and she might have an episode because he was gone. But he had to at least make an effort. He knew this was the best move for his future. The academy was the best school and if he wanted to be a great inventor he would have to deal with this. 

Even if that meant dealing with people like Jayce Talis.

Chapter Text

Viktor had barely made it past the doorstep after his first day when a small figure dropped down from the beams in the ceiling, landing right in front of him. It was Jinx and she looked up at him with big blue eyes before quickly wrapping her arms around him.

“I missed you, Vik…” She said, her words slightly muffled since her face was buried in the fabric of his shirt.

“I missed you too, Blue”, he said and stroked her hair softly. She looked up at him with a smile and Viktor relaxed slightly. She seemed to be doing okay. He had been worried about her all day since she usually didn't react very well to change and him going to the academy was definitely a big change. She was very clingy for a fourteen year old always trailing after Viktor and following him wherever he went. It had taken two hours to stop her crying when Viktor first told her that he was going to the academy. 

“What in the…did Silco do your hair?” he asked and looked down at the tangled mess. Her blue hair stuck out in all places and colorful hair pins decorated it all. Jinx nodded and Viktor sighed and shook his head.

“Should I redo it? You can’t have all this hair in the way while you’re inventing. It might get caught in a cog or something”, Viktor said, concern seeping into his voice. Not only was it a clear safety hazard it also looked god awful, two of Viktor’s pet peeves. Jinx nodded eagerly, exited since she always loved when Viktor took time to do her hair. It made her feel special and cared for and he was much better at it than Silco. She immediately started bouncing up and down in excitement and he followed her into her room. He stopped and looked at the drawing on her desk, something that was supposed to resemble the academy on fire. "They won’t take him from me." It stood scribbled over the paper with a bright red color. He sighed as he picked it up.

“Blue? What’s this?” He said in a gentle voice, careful not to trigger her. She glanced back at him and grabbed the drawing, studying her work before meeting Viktor's eyes again.

“If they take you from me I’m going to burn them”, she said casually and put it down again and sat down on the chair. Waiting eagerly for Viktor to do her hair. 

“Blue…no one will take me from you…ever”, he reassured and looked down at her with a gentle gaze. Her blue eyes looked so innocent. Like she hadn’t just threatened to burn the most sacred place in Piltover down. 

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

That seemed to calm her down and he started untangling her hair with gentle skillful hands. He had done this hundreds of times and he was careful while picking the hair clips out. After getting the clips out of her hair he grabbed her brush and ran it through her hair. He braided it in two simple braids before he pinned her bangs back with some metal clips. When he was done she rushed over to admire herself in the reflection in the window.

“I love it thank you, Vik!” She exclaimed and giggled. Viktor smiled softly and sat down in the chair, tired after a day of using his bad leg.

“Good…now go draw something…not a burning building”, he said and she nodded and smiled before running off. With a sigh he stretched his leg out to massaged his knee, he let his head fall back and closed his eyes. It really wasn’t good for him to walk this much.

Later he was in his room, overthinking everything that happened on his first day. Did that boy Jayce really mean to offend him, or was Viktor overreacting? Why did so many people stare at him? Did they just pity him for his leg or were they spreading rumors? He knew that there would be rumors. He was quiet and from Zaun and with risk of sounding egotistical he was smarter than most of them. He often became a target for gossiping and figured that he should just ignore it like always. He picked a book up and decided to distract himself for a while and after about an hour he heard a knock on the door. He glanced up to see Silco in the doorframe.

“How did your first day go?” He asked and slowly strolled into his room, glancing around at everything before his eyes landed on Viktor.

“Well what do you think? Everyone was looking at me like I was there to commit war crimes and I managed to talk to one person, who proceeded to insult my background”, Viktor said and looked at his father for some sort of sympathy but the only thing he was met with was an eye roll. 

“Well that’s not why you’re there. You’re there to get the best education because your mind is too brilliant to be stuck here. When I was your age I would’ve killed to be in the academy and not work day and night in the mines,” Silco said and Viktor sighed.

“I know, dad. But they are all a pain and my leg is all messed up from walking all the way and-“ he couldn’t finish his list of complaints before Silco interrupted him.

“Well then we’ll get you a room on campus I’m sure it’s not too late”, he said and Viktor sat up straight in his bed. 

“No. That will not happen, it will be torture, and what about Jinx?” He pleaded, desperately trying to bend his father to his will. Like that ever worked.

“Jinx is none of your business, I'm perfectly capable of handling her!” Silco hissed and stepped closer to his son. They both knew that Jinx would take the news of Viktor moving to campus pretty badly. When she has her episodes it’s always Viktor calming her down. Silco tried his best but she just responded better to Viktor. 

“You’re definitely not! You can’t even do her hair right”, Viktor scoffed and that only served to anger Silco further.

“What do you mean, I did her hair just this morning”, he said.

“No, what you did was absolutely horrible, it looked like a bird's nest. I redid it”, Viktor said and crossed his arms, feeling a little smug at how frustrated Silco was getting. 

“Her hair is none of your concern and I can handle her episodes just fine. I’m getting you a room on campus”, Silco said and Viktor immediately regretted talking back. 

“But why do you want me to go there so bad? You hate Piltover and the council and everything they stand for so why send me there?” Viktor said and Silco sighed while pinching the bridge of his nose. 

“The academy has the best education whether you like it or not. It’s the best way you can go if you want to become great. I put you and Jinx over everything and I’m willing to send you there if that is what's best for you.”

“No please, dad…you can’t do this”, Viktor said and that only made Silco scoff.

“I can do whatever I want. And right now I want you to get downstairs and have dinner before you pack your bags with whatever gadgets you need. And no exsplosives,” he said before leaving the room. 

Viktor was beyond upset, he picked up a book and threw it at the now closed door in a desperate act to take his frustrations somehow. With a overdramatic sigh he laid down on the bed. Did nothing ever go his way? He was just about to head down for dinner when he heard a sniffle from outside his window. His brows furrowed and he peeked outside, there, on the balcony sat Jinx. She was sobbing softly and mumbling to herself.

“No…no he wouldn’t do that! Shut up!” She muttered and started hitting her head repeatedly with her closed fist and the sight made Viktor’s heart ache.

“Blue…blue come here get off the ledge it’s not safe”, he said carefully and stuck out his hands. Gently urging her to get inside. 

“No! You’re not leaving!” She yelled and Viktor shook his head. 

“I have too…but I’m only going to stay in a different place. I don’t want to but my stupid leg hurts when I walk this much…I’m not leaving you , Blue. I’ll still visit as much as I can”, he reassured and Jinx looked up. Her eyes were filled with tears and she was still sobbing violently. 

“Vik you can’t leave!” She cried between sobs and Viktor sighed.

“ You will still always be my sister and no amount of distance can ever change that”, he said softly and before he could brace himself, she threw herself into his arms. Desperately clinging to him. Like if she just held him tightly enough it would prevent him from leaving.

He fell down onto the floor but he was way too relieved that Jinx had gotten off the balcony to care about the pain it caused him. He patted her back and sat up slightly.

“Silco is gonna take care of you just fine…” Viktor said, more to himself than Jinx.

“Can’t I come with you? Please?” She whispered into his shirt, pleading with him.

“No…I’m sorry. But think about the bright side, you don’t have to wear this silly costume”, he said and motioned to his academy uniform. That made Jinx giggle slightly and he cupped her face and stroked away the tears with his thumbs. She would be fine. She had to be.

Chapter Text

Jayce was laying on the bed in his dorm, contemplating if he should get up or not. He glanced around the room before his eyes landed on the bed at the other side of the room. He hadn’t gotten a roommate so the bed was empty and Jayce had taken the liberty of using it as a second desk, notes and papers and books littering the space. He tore his eyes away from the mess and glanced at the clock on his bedside table. 07:03. It was still early and classes didn’t start till 8:30. He sat up and stretched his arms over his head. He slept shirtless and the sliver of sun seeping through the window felt nice against his bare skin. It was quiet and peaceful until the door swung open. Jayce practically jumped out of his skin and let out an embarrassingly high pitched squeak. As if that wasn’t bad enough the person in the doorway was no other than…Viktor.

“Oh not you…” Viktor pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed deeply.

“Good Morning to you too?” Jayce said confused and Viktor scoffed. “What are you…” Jayce was just about to ask what Viktor was doing here when he saw the bags in his hands.

“You’re my roommate?” Jayce asked and Viktor nodded.

“Apparently…but I’m gonna go ask for a new room…” Viktor said and turned to leave. For some reason that made Jayce panic, he quickly stood up.

“Wait it’s fine I don’t mind you can stay here…” Jayce said and Viktor looked back at him, noticing his lack of a shirt. He tried his best to resist but his eyes wandered down Jayce’s bare torso. Noticing his swelling muscles and god…he was extremely attractive. How infuriating.

“No… I don’t really want to so…” Viktor mumbled.

“There’s no other empty rooms on the first floor” Jayce quickly said and Viktor froze.

“Why would that matter?” Viktor said, already knowing the answer.

“Well your leg…” Jayce said. Was this boy completely out of his mind? He had already accidentally insulted Viktor’s background and now he was commenting on his disability.

“I am perfectly okay walking up every single staircase in all of Piltover and Zaun if it means getting away from you”, he snapped and it made Jayce frown.

“You have got to stop assuming I’m out to hurt you. I’m just trying to say that I’m fine with you staying here.” Jayce said and Viktor rolled his eyes in response. 

“Do you have some pathological need to be liked or something?” He said. The answer was yes, Jayce couldn’t imagine someone not liking him. After some back and forth they decided that they could stay in the same room but keep out of each other’s way. 

“Do you mind…putting a shirt on?” Viktor muttered and Jayce glanced down at himself before heading to get dressed. Viktor closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to collect himself. He glanced at his reflection in the mirror and noticed that his whole face was red. Was Jayce completely clueless to the fact that walking around shirtless might have a certain effect on people? This man was so…agitating. He put his stuff down and left to head to his class. 

After his first lesson he had mathematics and apparently he shared that one with Jayce. When he entered the classroom he immediately saw the other boy at a desk in the front row, surrounded by other students who were listening to him while laughing. Viktor resisted the urge to roll his eyes, he knew Jayce’s type all too well. The golden boy who everyone loved but was secretly a huge asshole. He couldn’t believe he had to share a dorm with him, he would probably be up all night at parties and bring girls over all the time. The thought made Viktor resent the boy even more. He accidentally made eye contact with Jayce who flashed him a smile, the other kids looked over to see what caught Jayce’s attention. All the eyes on him made Viktor uneasy and he sat down without returning the smile. Finally the lecture started and after a while Viktor leaned back in his chair and stopped taking notes. This was easy, how were the students around him struggling with this? He began tapping his foot lightly in pure boredom while fiddling with his pen. 

“Excuse me, mister…well I suppose you don’t have a last name. Is my teaching not up to your Zaunite standards?” The professor suddenly spoke and looked directly at Viktor. He was a tall lanky man with cold eyes and blonde hair. Viktor had overheard some older students talking about this teacher. Apparently he was awful and created ridiculously hard equations that no one could solve. 

“Actually yes this is terribly easy and boring”, he said bluntly and the teacher’s eyes widened in shock. Apparently he wasn’t used to being challenged like this, especially not by a crippled boy from Zaun of all places. He could hear mumbling spreading through the classroom but he ignored it. 

“Well then if you’re so clever then why don’t you come and solve the equation on the board?” The professor said and handed Viktor a chalk. Viktor took it and grabbed his cane before making his way up to the board. He looked the equation over and immediately got to work. He got into his zone and after about three minutes he was done. He turned around to go back to his seat only to see that every single student in the classroom was staring at him. All wide eyed and some were even gaping. Some looked at him with envy, some with shock and some looked impressed? Like they were admiring him. Viktor wasn’t used to having this much attention on him so he just kind of stood there awkwardly. The teacher was bright red with anger and looked like he was about to explode. Clearly his plan on humiliating Viktor for not paying attention had failed. Viktor limped over to the teacher and handed the chalk back.

“Wait, I’ve not told you if it’s right or not yet”, the professor said.

“It’s right”, he said before he sat down at his desk again. The teacher clenched his jaw and took a deep breath before he started teaching again. Not even acknowledging the amazing work Viktor just did. 

Jayce was in awe as he watched Viktor solve the equation on the board. He had already guessed that Viktor was brilliant since he had gotten into the academy but to see it in action was something else. Jayce really tried not to but he ended up staring at Viktor anyways. He noticed how Viktor twirled the hair at the back of his head while taking notes and how he tapped his foot against the stone floor. Maybe that was a nervous habit. Viktor didn’t seem comfortable at all being the center of attention, something Jayce couldn’t relate to. He glanced around him and heard the other students whispering amongst themselves. 

“What a freak…”

“He’s probably cheating…”

“No kid from Zaun is that smart…”

The whispering made Jayce furious. Couldn’t they accept that someone from Zaun was smarter than them?  He wanted to turn around and tell the kids to shut up but refrained from doing so to not cause a scene. Viktor seemed unbothered by the gossiping and whispering. It made Jayce wonder how much of this treatment Viktor has had to endure to make him so indifferent to it. If someone was talking about Jayce like this and whispering behind his back he never would have been able to ignore it like Viktor did. It would actually be unbearable for Jayce, people pleaser as he was by nature. His mother always told him that he was way too nice to people, that his heart was too big. It might sound like a good quality but it made him unable to accept the fact that someone didn’t like him or was disappointed in him. How could Viktor just sit there and ignore the gossip people were spreading? He realized how long he had been staring and quickly shifted his focus to the teacher again.

After the lesson was over Jayce watched Viktor pack up his things and he was just about to approach him when someone else beat him to it.

“Hi…great job with that equation”, the girl said to Viktor. Her hair was brown and curly and tied up in a bun, she nervously corrected her glasses. 

“Thank you…I’m Viktor by the way”, Viktor answered and he sounded much nicer compared to how he had spoken to Jayce earlier. 

“I’m Sky, Sky Young”, she said and he smiled at her. The sight of Viktor’s smile made Jayce’s heart skip a beat. Why didn’t Viktor smile at him like that? 

“Nice to meet you, miss Young”, Viktor said and it made Sky blush slightly. Jayce couldn’t help but envy her a little. Why was Viktor so willing to talk to her and not him? Was it something about Jayce specifically that Viktor didn’t like? The thought made Jayce frustrated. There was someone here who didn’t like him. He watched them leave and one of his friend’s voices snapped him out of his thoughts.

When Jayce came back to his dorm that night he found it a little different from how he left it. The other side of the room was now filled with books and notes and gadgets, but everything was so incredibly tidy and well organized. He compared it to his side of the room, which was the complete opposite. He flopped down on his own unmade bed and rubbed his eyes. He thought about Viktor. He couldn’t figure him out. Viktor was clearly a genius but incredibly isolated , probably due to growing up in Zaun. Jayce really wanted to get to know him better but the interactions they have had so far were all total failures and Jayce didn’t know how to fix it. Jayce didn’t understand what he had done to make Viktor dislike him so…he had been nothing but nice and Viktor had only been hostile in return. Viktor was by far the most interesting person he had met during his short time here at the academy, and the only one he actually wanted to get to know.

He was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard the door open and Viktor walked inside. 

“Oh hello”, Jayce said and smiled brightly. Viktor only nodded in return before heading for his desk. 

This had quite literally never happened to Jayce before. He was so used to being admired and when he smiled at people they smiled back. But not this boy. Jayce knew Viktor was capable of smiling since he had smiled at that girl Sky. So why didn’t he smile at Jayce? 

“Great job with that equation today…you really shut that stupid professor up”, Jayce said, trying desperately to initiate conversation. 

“I know”, Viktor said in a short tone before he opened his text book. Jayce really shouldn’t be surprised at the impolite answer but he was still taken aback. Couldn’t he at least try to be a little nice? 

Jayce noticed that Viktor’s cane was decorated. Bright blue streaks of color covered bits of the cane and it really didn’t fit in with Jayces picture of Viktor. 

“Hey, who decorated your cane?” Jayce asked, and Viktor glanced down at his cane.

“My sister”, he said and it made Jayce intrigued. Finally some actual information about him. 

“Oh is she older or younger?” Jayce asked and Viktor sighed.

“Not that’s it’s any of your business but younger”, Viktor said and Jayce smiled a little. He imagined Viktor taking care of his younger sister, how cute.

“Oh that’s nice, I’ve always wanted siblings but it’s just me and my mom”, Jayce said.

“Okay”, Viktor answered and Jayce looked over at him. God this man was absolutely impossible. 

“So you just let her color your cane?” Jayce asked, trying his best to keep the conversation going but his usual charm didn’t seem to work on Viktor.

“Yes. She gets…um…a little skittish, when I’m not around so I let her do it so she could feel like she’s always with me”, Viktor said and the longer answer surprised Jayce. Clearly his sister meant a lot to him. 

“Wow that’s really cute”, Jayce commented and Viktor went back to his book. 

Jayce noticed that Viktor seemed a little worried. He was twirling the hair in his neck again. But maybe he was just concentrated. After a long time of absolute silence Viktor spoke up.

“Do you have some type of phone on campus?” He said and Jayce quickly answered.

“Yes there’s one at the end of the corridor I think.” Viktor nodded without thanking him and stood up before hurrying out of the room. 

Viktor was walking down the hallway until he finally reached the end. There was indeed a phone on the wall and Viktor picked it up and dialed a number. 

“Who’s  calling?” The voice at the other end said. Viktor relaxed at the sound of his fathers voice.

“Where’s Jinx? Is she okay?” He said immediately and he heard a deep sigh through the phone.

"She's fine Viktor. You don’t have to call just to check up on her. I'm handling it.”

“No you’re not! You need to make sure she’s okay and you need to hold her if she has an episode okay? I know you’re not exactly the most affectionate but you have to try for her. She needs the physical contact to ground herself so she knows you’re not a hallucination”, Viktor rambled and there was a long silence after he was done speaking.

“I know Viktor. I’ve got it, worry about yourself for once. Let me handle Jinx”, his father said and Viktor noticed how tired his voice was. Such a contrast to his usual cold commanding tone. 

“I…okay. I’ll call you later…bye dad.”

Chapter Text

The first week on campus went by pretty quickly. To Viktor’s surprise it was actually quite challenging and to his absolute horror Jayce continued his futile attempts of getting to know Viktor. In the process Viktor had learned quite a lot about Jayce. He was son to a single mother who he called all the time. And when he says all the time it is all the time . He could stay up till late at night just rambling and laughing with his mother in a language he couldn’t understand. Viktor could not grasp how someone could talk this much, and with their parent too. It was like Jayce was incapable of staying silent for more than 10 minutes. He even talked in his sleep and snored, which was driving Viktor insane. Something else that was driving Viktor insane was how casual Jayce was about everything. He walked around shirtless and slept shirtless and it was like he didn’t even notice how much it affected Viktor. He was so charming and annoying and as predicted, Jayce was also quite popular. He always sat with a huge group in the cafeteria and although he talked a lot he could also be engrossed in his studies. Clearly he wasn’t all good looks but had a brain too. Which annoyed Viktor even further.

They were having their first class in advanced mechanics, which apparently was the dean of the school's subject. Viktor sat at the back of the class like usual and waited for the professor to start the lesson, Sky had taken a habit of sitting beside Viktor. Which he appreciated, since she was good company and didn’t bring up his background or his leg. On the other side of the classroom was Jayce, and like always he had a group of friends around him. What could he possibly be saying that made everyone laugh like that? The times he had spoken to Viktor he sure wasn’t that charming. 

“Viktor? What are you looking at…” Sky’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

“Oh nothing just…why does everyone like him so much? He’s a horrible roommate. I mean he leaves his stuff everywhere and talks all the time and when I say all the time, Sky…I mean all the time. He’s just so…ugh”, Viktor rolled his eyes and looked at Sky who was looking over at Jayce. 

“He’s nice I guess”, she said and shrugged. 

“Nice? He just seems so arrogant…” Viktor muttered and was just about to go on a rant about how annoying Jayce’s snoring was when the teacher interrupted them.

“Hello dear younglings!”A voice called everyone’s attention to the front of the class. Viktor couldn’t see anyone until he looked down and saw a Yordle. So this was the dean? 

“I am Professor Heimerdinger! I will be your guide into the fascinating word of mechanics. A truly extraordinary experience that I hope you all will enjoy”, The professor said while adjusting the blackboard to the lowest setting. 

“I have paired all of you up to research and invent your own things during this semester. I will of course grade you on this project but make sure to do something you enjoy! Something you burn for”, Heimerdinger said before he started writing the pairs on the table. 

Viktor hoped to be paired up with Sky since she was the only one he considered a friend, but she got paired with someone named Demina. Viktor looked at the blackboard anticipating who he would be stuck with for the rest of the semester. No. No. No way he’s seeing right. Next to his name is no other than the name Jayce Talis. This has to be a prank. The universe had to be playing a joke on him. 

He glanced over at Jayce who was smiling brightly. He gave Viktor thumbs up and Viktor managed to keep himself from rolling his eyes. He quickly looked away and stared at Heimerdinger. The yordle looked very pleased with himself, unaware of the fact that Viktor had an overwhelming urge to strangle him. Why? Why him? It was bad enough to share a room with this guy and now he had to spend his free time with him too? He was sure there was plenty of students who wanted to work with Jayce, but it just had to be him? 

“Before you start to complain I will not be changing anything. Now… Get to work, young inventors! Say hi to your partners .”

Jayce was over the moon. Finally, Viktor would have no choice but to talk with him. He stood up and walked over to Viktor. He was weirdly nervous, it was abundantly clear Viktor was immune to Jayces charm, and something about those piercing amber eyes made his heart stutter. He just couldn’t focus whenever Viktor looked at him, Viktor must think he’s an idiot. Jayce shook the thought away and approached Viktor.

“Hi…looks like we’re gonna work together”, Jayce said and Viktor looked up at him. Why were his eyes like that? Why did one look from Viktor just completely chatter all form of confidence and charm he had?

“Looks like it.”

“Well do you want to maybe discuss our project during lunch?” Jayce said and Viktor gave a short nod.

“Sure."

Later at lunch Jayce was walking with his friend, Astor, into the cafeteria.

“I’ll see you later I’m gonna go sit with my partner in mechanics”, Jayce said to his friend and motioned to Viktor, who was sitting in his usual corner.

“Oh, the Zaunite? I feel bad for you I’ve heard things about that guy”, Astor said and that made Jayce stop in his tracks.

“What do you mean?” Jayce said while his brows furrowed.

“Apparently his dad is like a huge chem baron and he’s only here to spy. He’s probably not even that smart, no Zaunite is”, he said and Jayce scoffed.

“You’re being prejudiced and you sound like an asshole. He’s probably ten times smarter than you, you just can’t accept it”, Jayce said and left without awaiting a response. 

He was kind of shocked at how his friend acted. Where did those rumors come from? He thought back to one of his first interactions with Viktor. Suddenly he kind of understood why Viktor took the comment about his background so bad. He was probably used to people looking down at him because he is a Zaunite. He was determined to mend his relationship with Viktor. 

“Hey…have you thought about our project?” He asked before sitting down next to Viktor.

“A little…” Viktor said and closed the book he was reading.

“Well I was toying with the idea of a gun that could reload and kind of redirect sun energy. It would really help with our military and the enforcers”, Jayce said and Viktor scoffed.

“Really? Your idea is to give the enforcers better weapons to further oppress Zaun? Was that really the first thing that came to mind” Viktor said, disgust dripping from the statement. 

“No…what? The enforcers are here to help us and keep us safe”, Jayce said confused and Viktor laughed without humor.

“Yes for Pilties maybe but for us Zaunites, the enforcers are monsters. They separate kids from their parents and they kill without a second thought because we’re worth less than animals to all of you”, Viktor hissed and Jayce was taken aback by the statement.

“No…I mean not to me I wasn’t really aware of that I ju-”

“Well that's because you've never had to endure it. I mean it’s easy for you to just ignore it. I’ve watched enforcers kill multiple times and I’ve seen them grab actual children and haul them off to stillwater for stealing food and clean water so they wouldn’t die,” Viktor said and Jayce was at a loss for words. 

“Wow um…I really…I actually didn’t know that”, Jayce mumbled, his eyes glued to Viktor. 

“Of course you didn't, you're just another spoiled piltie brat.”, Viktor said and scoffed, his voice dripping with venom. That stung. He didn’t want Viktor to think of him like that.

“Well um…I wouldn’t consider myself a brat I-”

“Well I do. You’re completely out of touch with reality if you think more weapons will be better. Because it might be for Piltover but it certainly won’t be for Zaun”, Viktor snapped and Jayce sighed softly.

“I don’t know what I’ve done that’s made you dislike me so but I really didn’t mean anything by it…I’m open to work on anything you want, it was just a suggestion”, Jayce said gently and Viktor’s brows furrowed. He had just insulted Jayce and blew up on him and Jayce just took it and…apologize? There was an uncomfortably long silence while he just stared at Jayce in shock. Jayce was looking at Viktor with big soft hazel eyes and they were so incredibly beautiful that it knocked the breath out of Viktor for several moments. Viktor had never experienced anything like this before and it was impossible to describe. He tried composing himself again and continued to stay mad but the mere sight of Jayces face made it impossible. 

“Well…let’s…let’s just try to brainstorm something that works for both of us”, Viktor finally managed to mumble and Jayce nodded slightly.

Later that day Viktor was sitting on his bed, tinkering with an old broken clock. He felt bad for how he had yelled at Jayce earlier, maybe he wasn’t such a bad guy. Sure he was naive and annoying but the look he gave Viktor when he told him about the enforcers was genuine. He was considering maybe being a little nicer to him since they would be stuck together for a long time. He was deep in his thoughts when the door swung open and Jayce stormed in. 

“Viktor! I came up with an idea for our project!” He said while closing the door behind him. He walked over to Viktors bed, clearly very excited and riled up. 

“Okay okay calm down”, Viktor said when he noticed Jayce was out of breath.

“I can’t, I ran straight here when I got the idea.”

“You ran?” Viktor chuckled and Jayce smiled. 

“Yeah… can you please let me say my idea now?” Jayce said and Viktor nodded and put the clock down.

“Okay so you brought up the whole issue in Zaun about how some zaunites don't even have access to clean water. People talk about the air pollution issue a lot but the lack of drinkable water is rarely brought up. Why don’t we develop a cheap and easily accessed water filtration system?” Jayce said and looked at Viktor for some type of reaction to his plan. Viktor had his eyes glued to Jayce and his mouth was slightly open. It was kind of touching how Jayce had come up with this, and entirely without Viktor’s help.

“That’s…that’s actually not a bad idea”, Viktor said and Jayce smiled brightly.

“Right? I was thinking about how dependent Zaun is on Piltover's water supply and with this invention we could make some actual change! Do you want to do that project ?” Jayce asked excitedly, clearly extremely proud of himself. Viktor couldn’t help but smile, this could make an actual difference.

“Yeah I’d like that”, Viktor said and he was smiling at Jayce. The sight of Viktor’s smile made Jayce feel, for lack of better words, giddy. 

They spend some time talking and developing a basic idea of how it all would work. They concluded that they would have to take samples from the rivers and water supplies in Zaun to further determine just how strong the filter had to be. Since there was plenty of chemical waste in many of the areas of Zaun it couldn’t just be an ordinary filter. It would be a challenging project but if they worked together and really cooperated they could achieve it. 

“So sometime next week I can go and take the samples”, Viktor said while scribbling down different areas with the most pollution.

“You? We’re partners now, I can come with you”, Jayce said and Viktor actually laughed at him.

“You? In Zaun? I don’t think so…” Viktor said and Jayce frowned. 

“I’m capable of taking care of myself, I’ll have you know I’m perfectly fine going to Zaun”, he said with so much confidence that Viktor laughed even more.

“Have you ever been to Zaun?” Viktor said when he finally stopped laughing.

“No…but you grew up there so we’ll be fine”, Jayce said and motioned to Viktor.

“Well prepare for a hell of a field trip”, Viktor mumbled and that only made Jayce frown more.

“I think it’s gonna be fun, I mean seeing parts of Piltover I’ve never been too”, Jayce said and Viktor shook his head.

“Zaun is not Piltover, it's not even in the same universe you will be eaten alive if you act like you act here”, Viktor said and Jayce suddenly looked worried.

“What’s wrong with the way I act?”

“There it is again your pathological need to be liked, you have to tone that down if you’re going to Zaun”, Viktor said and Jayce frowned again.

“What’s wrong with trying to get people to like you?” Jayce said confused and Viktor couldn’t help but find it cute.

“Well for one it’s a waste of time and if you’re in Zaun people are gonna use that against you.”

“It’s not a waste of time! Why wouldn’t you want to be liked?” 

“Jayce this might seem weird to you but not everyone is naturally lovable. I’ve just learned not to prioritize it, it's futile”, Viktor said and Jayce tilted his head slightly and looked like he was deep in thought. 

“Well I like you and-…wait did you call me lovable?” Jayce said and Viktor froze.

“Eh for lack of better words, yes…” Viktor said while avoiding eye contact. That was enough for Jayce who smiled slightly. 

“Well I’ll take the compliment”, Jayce said with a smug tone and Viktor sighed.

“I’ve also called you a brat”, Viktor pointed out but that didn’t stop Jayce from smiling.

“I’ll still take the compliment.” 

Chapter Text

Viktor and Jayce had decided together to take their trip to Zaun on Saturday since they were both free. They were going to spend the whole day taking samples of polluted water around Zaun. Jayce volunteered to pick up the test kits from the lab, he was extremely excited over the whole thing which was something Viktor had trouble understanding. 

“You do realize that we’re going to Zaun right? I’ve never met a Piltie who’s gone there voluntarily. I don’t understand why you’re so excited”, Viktor said while Jayce was packing the lab kit. 

“Well I’ve always been curious what it’s like down there”, Jayce said and shrugged, which earned him a scoff from Viktor.

“Well prepare to be disappointed”, he said and Jayce frowned.

“You’re a real pessimist, you know that?” He said and Viktor nodded.

“I know. But that’s better than being an optimist”, he said and Jayce stopped packing to look up at him.

“How? Why wouldn’t you want to look at the bright side of life?” 

“Because sorry to break it to you, life isn’t always bright. If you expect good things to happen all the time and they don’t then you’ll only be met with disappointment”, Viktor said simply.

“Who taught you that? It sounds like a horrible life philosophy”, Jayce said and Viktor shrugged.

“I’m living off facts, who taught you to be so optimistic? Life of privilege?”

“Ha ha, no my mamá always tells me to believe in myself”, Jayce said and Viktor chuckled.

“Your mom? Now I know why you are like you are”, Viktor said sarcastically while they started heading towards the door. 

“Do not insult my mamá like that”, Jayce said and Viktor chuckled. Jayce found himself liking the sound. He had to figure out how to make Viktor laugh more. 

They walked out of the campus and Jayce made sure to keep Viktor’s tempo, which was quite slow due to his bad leg. They walked in a newfound type of silence. It was comfortable, but of course Jayce couldn’t keep quiet and spoke up.

“So where are we going first?” Jayce asked and Viktor looked up at him.

“Just follow me you’ll see…” he said and Viktor kept walking.

 They reached the bridge between Piltover and Zaun. Walking across it you could see enforcers paroling the area and Jayce watched Viktor frown at the sight. Ever since that conversation they had about the conditions in Zaun Jayce had started to see piltover's finest in a different light. The blue uniforms and masks suddenly became intimidating, a symbol of oppression walking around the only bridge connecting Zaun and Piltover. How ironic that the person standing next to him opened his eyes in such a way. With his blunt attitude and snazzy remarks, that all this caught Jayces attention in a way he never expected. That it made him question the very system he grew up with. 

When they crossed the bridge Viktor finally spoke.

“So I know a river nearby, it’s at the bay. I used to play there when I was a kid and it was filthy. I think it’s a good place to take a sample since it’s not connected to any waters belonging to Piltover”, he said and Jayce nodded.

“You played there as a kid?” Jayce asked with a smile, imagining Viktor as a child playing.

“Yeah I invented my own toys from scrap. My favorite was this boat I constructed. I found the cogs in an old grandfather clock which someone had dumped. Turned out pretty good”, Viktor said, a hint of pride in his voice. Jayce's smile widened.

“So you were an inventor from an early age then?” Jayce said and that made Viktor smile again. 

“Yeah…I guess…” 

They arrived at the river and it was a little different from what Jayce imagined. It was between a few cliffs and the water was practically brown with filth and waste. Gray pebbles decorated the shore and the soft sound of the pouring water mingled with the sound of piltover's busy traffic.

“Wow it’s…so dirty”, Jayce said and stared down into the polluted water.

“You’ve not seen the worst of it. This is the part of Zaun closest to Piltover, it gets much worse trust me”, Viktor said and Jayce sighed.

“This is gonna be a long day I guess”, Jayce mumbled and with that final statement they sampled the water and headed off to the next place, then the next, then the next. The work was tiring and Jayce noticed Viktor’s leg was bothering him a little. 

“Hey should we take a lunch break maybe? You can rest your leg and I’m starving so a little food wouldn’t hurt”, Jayce said and Viktor nodded. As much as he’d like to deny it, all this walking was putting a strain on his leg and maybe a break was appropriate.

“Yeah I know a place nearby…we could go there and eat”, Viktor said and Jayce quickly agreed. Ready to eat anything to soothe the ache in his stomach. 

They were now heading down the darker parts of Zaun. The lanes. The sky was now completely gray and it casted a gloomy light on the already depressing landscape. The streets were filthy and Jayce couldn’t help but turn around at every minor sound, even if it was just a cat searching for food in a bin. Viktor on the other hand didn’t seem phased by it at all. Even if Jayce was a little anxious it was actually nice to see Viktor in his natural habitat. He seems much more comfortable here than in the academy even though the chances of being robbed were about one hundred times bigger. 

“Hey aren’t you scared at all?” Jayce asked while keeping close to Viktor, his hand almost brushing against Viktor’s. 

“Why would I be?” Viktor asked and Jayce thought about the right way to word his concerns.

“Well you can’t really run with your leg and I’m sure we could easily be cornered. I mean I didn’t bring any weapons”, Jayce said in a concerned voice, which made Viktor roll his eyes. 

“I can take care of myself and…just so you know they won’t attack me here”, he said simply and Jayces eyebrows furrowed.

“How can you be so sure?” Jayce said, getting even more anxious about all this. 

“I just am. Don’t worry”, Viktor reassured and it made Jayce calm down a little. 

They arrived at a busy street. Music blasting from different stores and people crowding the narrow street.

“Okay keep close to me and don’t look at anyone or smile at anyone”, Viktor informed and Jayce nodded.

“But what if they smile at me?” Jayce asked like it was an actual concern of his that he couldn’t return a smile. It was very cute and just as annoying. 

“Jayce, is it that hard to not smile? Just keep your head down”, Viktor said and grabbed Jayce’s hand. Which surprised him. He didn’t complain though, even though Viktor’s hand was cold. He enjoyed the touch way too much to comment on anything. They walked through the crowd hand in hand and Jayce glanced around at the different faces. Everyone looked so different from the people he usually saw in Piltover. They wore challenging clothing and some had bright hair colors and tattoos and/or piercings all over their bodies. A woman clad in a short yellow dress and knee high boots with spikes smiled and winked at him. Jayce quickly averted his gaze just like Viktor had told him to do, and maybe squeezed Viktor’s hand a little tighter. Viktor pulled him into what he assumed was a restaurant, but it was a

little hard to tell since there were no tables and everyone ordered at what looked like a bar. But the smell of grease and burnt meat oozing from the ‘kitchen’ led him to the conclusion that this in fact was a restaurant.

“We’re eating here?” Jayce asked a little sceptical and Viktor rolled his eyes.

“What, is it not up to your standards?” Viktor said and Jayce quickly shook his head. 

“No no I really want to try it but…just seems a little unhygienic”, Jayce said and Viktor laughed,

“Are you complaining about hygiene? Have you even looked at your side of the room?” Viktor said and it made Jayce blush a little. 

“Okay can we just order please?” Jayce mumbled and Viktor considered teasing him further but dropped the subject. They sat down at the barstools and Viktor stretched his leg out. 

“Viktor! I was wondering when you were gonna show up here again!” The cook said and laughed, but it sounded more like a bark in Jayce’s ears.

“Missed me huh?” He said and the cook laughed.

“Yeah there’s no one to annoy me here when you’re gone. And who is this guy? Boyfriend?” The cook said and Viktor’s ears turned bright red. 

“No no absolutely not, just a classmate. His name’s Jayce”, he quickly said and the cook laughed at the flustered expression both Jayce and Viktor had. 

“Sorry sorry my mistake”, the cook said and chuckled while giving Viktor a look. The conversation stopped for a second but Viktor quickly picked up the menu and ordered for both him and Jayce since Jayce didn’t know what any of the items was. After the misunderstanding about them dating there was an awkward silence until Jayce sparked the conversation again.

“So…what’s your life like in Zaun, the only thing I know is that you have a sister”, he said and picked up a napkin which he proceeded to shred. He needed something to focus on, he was getting weirdly nervous. Maybe it was the loud voices around him or maybe it was the thing on a plate which the cook was preparing  that did not look remotely edible. But most likely it was how close Viktor was to him. It was crowded and it forced them to sit really close to each other. Jayce couldn’t decide if it was good or bad.

“Yes I have a sister”, Viktor said and Jayce couldn’t help but smile slightly at how reserved Viktor acted, it was adorable how introverted he was.

“Do you even know how to have a conversation? Can’t you tell me a little more about yourself?” He said and Viktor scoffed.

“I know how to make conversation I just don’t like to do it…but fine if you’re gonna be such a pain then I’ll let you ask me some questions”, Viktor said and Jayce practically started glowing with anticipation.

“Okay okay…let’s see…do you have any other family besides your sister?” He asked and Viktor nodded.

“Yes, my dad. He um…kind of adopted me and my sister. But besides them no one”, Viktor said and the statement intrigued Jayce even more.

“What do you mean by ‘kind of adopted’?” he said confused and Viktor looked away for a second.

“Well…um long story”

The sky was cloudy like always. The air was filled with a stench of metal and rot, the kind of filth that clung to your skin and made you feel uneasy. But Silco was way too used to it to care and just kept on walking. He was getting closer to the pawn shop where he usually got good deals. He had promised Vander to go to the last drop after he was done with his “little projects” and increased his pace to be there before sunset. When he turned a corner and walked past an alley he could hear a faint sound of metal scraping against metal. The sound caught his attention and he backed up to look down the alley. He didn’t see anyone but the sound repeated and he decided to look a little further. He glanced down and saw…someone sitting there. Leaned against the dumpster was a small boy who seemed to be tinkering with something. The boy looked up at Silco before lowering his gaze to the thing in his hands again. He was thin, in a sickly way. Pale skin like all the other kids in the lanes, dark circles under his big amber eyes.

“Hello little boy…what’s that?” Silco asked with actual interest about the thing in the boy’s hands. The boy didn’t answer at first and Silco took a small step closer.

“Did you hear me? What are you doing?” He asked carefully and to his surprise the boy rolled his eyes.

“I don’t need your pity. I’m fine here”, he mumbled and Silco shook his head.

“No no I don't do pity. I’m just wondering what you’re doing with that thing in your hands”, he said and the boy raised his eyebrows in surprise.

“Well…it’s just a leg brace”, he said and Silco’s eyes wandered down to the boy’s leg. It didn’t show on the outside but apparently something was wrong with it.

“Where’d you get the parts?” He asked and a look of guilt flashed through the boy’s eyes.

“None of your business”, he finally muttered and that lured a smile onto Silco’s face, which surprised the boy.

“So stolen?” He asked and the fact that the boy didn’t meet his gaze was answer enough. 

“I actually think I have a part perfect for that…” he said and motioned to the top of the metal construction. This was unusual behavior for Silco, even before he turned into the biggest chem baron the undercity has ever seen he wasn’t the type of guy to just help out a random street kid. But something about this boy triggered something deep down in Silco, a long forgotten memory stirring to life when he saw the boy tinkering all by himself. 

“You could come with me and I can help you…or stay here, it’s your choice really”, Silco said and the boy perked up.

“Come with you?” he said and Silco nodded.

“Yeah, you must be starving”, he said and the boy scoffed.

“A little," he mumbled and Silco smiled.

“Then let me help you…my name is Silco by the way”, Silco said and stuck his hand out to help the boy up. The boy took it but still seemed warry over this strange man.

“I’m Viktor.”

Silco didn’t go to the pawn shop that day. He took Viktor to his friend Vander’s bar, the last drop. He knew Vander was a big softie and great with kids so taking Viktor there would be no issue. When they walked into the door Silco immediately spotted Vander, polishing some glasses behind the bar.

“Oh look who decided to finally show up”, Vander chuckled but when he saw that he had someone with him he stopped in his tracks.

“Who do you have with you? Is that your new project?” He asked and Viktor peeked his head out from behind Silco’s leg, when Vander saw that it was a small  boy he frowned.

“Did you kidnap a kid or what's going on?” Vander asked with a worried expression and Silco shook his head.

“No no…he has some issues with his leg and I wanted to help”, he said and Vander’s expression softened at the sight of the thin fragile boy.

“Well that’s a little out of character for you but sure I’ll help…” Vander said and that made Silco laugh.

“No, I just need that spare part, you won’t be any help.”

“Excuse me? why wouldn’t I be of any help?” Vander said in a gruff voice and looked extremely offended.

“Well me and Viktor here are the inventors, you can make us something to eat though” Silco said and Viktor smiled slightly at being called an inventor. Silco looked down and Viktor gave him a reassuring smile. 

Viktor often found himself missing that Silco. The kind smiles and how happy he was. When he wasn't constantly worried about his power and the shimmer productions and Jinx. The times when Viktor could go by the last drop and see Vander behind the bar, the non alcoholic drink he always got. It mostly tasted like sweetener and an artificial apple, but he loved it nonetheless. How Silco would sit at the end of the bar and help Viktor with his newest gadgets, give him books about mechanics and astrology and biology. Silco, the man who pulled Viktor out of the dumps and took him in as his own. Not Silco the chem baron. Silco before the betrayal and before the rebellion and before he became the most feared man in the lanes. It wasn’t that he didn’t love who his dad was right now but sometimes he found himself longing for the man he used to be. 

“So he just took you in after that?” Jayce asked and it snapped Viktor out of his nostalgia.

“Yeah…and then my sister came along”, Viktor said and avoided telling the whole detailed messy story. Jayce smiled softly, he was ecstatic over how much Viktor had shared. Finally he was getting through to Viktor. Jayce was fully absorbed in admiring how nice Viktor’s side profile was that he didn’t even notice that the food had arrived.

“Oi, pretty boy! Food’s here”, the cook said and Jayce snapped out of his trans. 

“Oh um…thank you…” he said and stared down at the food. His heart dropped as he saw the dish. “Viktor…what is that?”, Jayce asked and resisted the urge to scrunch his nose.

“It’s my absolute favorite, you have to taste it”, Viktor said and picked up a fork.

“Yes I absolutely will…but what is it exactly?” Jayce asked while poking at the purple ish blob on his plate. Viktor shrugged and that only served to worry Jayce further.

“Just eat it, it's good”, Viktor said while he took a bite. He closed his eyes and savored the taste. He let out a hum of satisfaction and a smile spread over his face. Jayce tore his eyes

away from Viktors lips and looked down at his own fork and gathered some courage before taking a bite. The moment the flavor and slimy texture landed on his tongue he had to force himself not to spit it out. That was the most disgusting thing he had ever eaten, how was Viktor enjoying this? He took a deep breath and tried to focus on literally anything else but the awful taste as he chewed slowly. He forced himself to swallow and noticed that Viktor was looking at him.

“So? Did you like it?” Viktor asked curiously and Jayce nodded.

“Yeah it’s delicious”, he lied and Viktor smiled.

“Really? you like it?”, He asked excitedly and Jayce nodded, barely keeping himself from gagging. Jayce looked over at Viktor and the smile on his face made eating whatever that was totally worth it. 

“Mhm…it was so good…” Jayce said and Viktor resumed eating. Jayce turned his attention back to the plate and sighed. He mentally prepared himself before continuing the absolute torture of consuming this. But at least Viktor looked happy.

Chapter Text

Viktor was a little surprised with how much he enjoyed Jayce’s company. He had never met anyone who listened to him like Jayce did and looked at him like he was someone worth admiring. And after this day he kind of understood why people liked Jayce so much. He was nice. In fact he was more than nice, he was kind. Genuinely kind in a way Viktor wasn’t used to. He wasn’t arrogant at all like Viktor first thought, he was actually a little awkward at times, which Viktor liked more than he was willing to admit.

They were walking back toward campus and the sun was beginning to set over the building, casting an orange glow over the whole courtyard. The sun reflected on Viktor’s pale skin and he looked so lovely in that warm light. Jayce debated whether or not to tell Viktor that, but he would probably call Jayce a creep and the wonderful moment would be ruined. So Jayce held his tongue and decided to soak up the moment and Viktor’s beauty. They walked into their dormitory and when they entered Viktor immediately froze. Jayce, who had been too busy looking at Viktor, quickly started searching the room with his eyes for the source of Viktor’s sudden halt. There on the top of the wardrobe sat a young girl. She had blue hair and she was humming softly to herself. In her hands she held some sort of gadget and Jayce couldn’t really tell exactly what it was. But Viktor seemed to know what it was and judging by his expression it wasn’t something good. The girl looked down at Viktor and a grin spread over her face, lighting her big blue eyes up with joy. 

“Oh, V! I was waiting for you”, she said and dropped down from the wardrobe. Jayce stared at her as she moved smoothly through the room, her movements resembling a cat’s. 

“Blue…give it to me, now” he ordered in a calm collected voice. But Jayce noticed that Viktor’s grip on his cane had tightened to the point where his knuckles were turning white. 

“Oh right! It finally worked, V.” She said excitedly and waved the gadget around in front of Viktor who took a small step back. The girl didn’t seem faced as she continued talking. “I made it go poow! poow!” She exclaimed and giggled slightly.

“Blue, give it to me now please…” he said gently and held his hand out. The girl still didn’t react to Viktor’s command and continued to throw the gadget from one hand to another.

“Vi? Can you do my hair?” she asked, completely ignoring Viktor’s request to have the gadget. She tilted her head slightly and looked up at Viktor, pleading with her eyes. 

“Of course I can… but you need to give it to me right now…okay?” Viktor said and Jayce suddenly got struck with realization. The thing in the girl’s hands was some sort of explosive. Even though it was covered with colorful drawings he could still tell what it was now. He glanced at Viktor, panic edged in his eyes. He seemed calm though, which only served to confuse Jayce further. Meanwhile Viktor’s mind was racing even though he kept a calm facade. He should’ve known this would happen. He should have known she would do something like this. But he had to keep calm even as an intense fear shook him to his core as he realized that not only was his life in danger but Jayces too. He could just pray she would give him it. 

“Yes!” The girl smiled and handed the bomb to Viktor, seemingly content with the trade. Viktor quickly disassembled it with skillful precision. He glanced up at Jayce before returning his attention back to the girl. She was grinning from ear to ear, not a sinister or mischievous grin but a genuinely happy one. She skipped over to Viktors bed and sat down on it, waiting. She was totally ignoring Jayce, her eyes glued on Viktor as he moved over to her.

“One braid or two braids?” He asked gently as he sat down. To Jayce’s shock she crawled over to him and settled in his lap. It looked a little weird. She wasn’t a toddler, she was in her early teens. 

“Two please”, she said and Viktor started combing his fingers through her hair and her eyes suddenly landed on Jayce. He took a small step back, weary of this girl and what she was doing breaking into their dorm. He knew it was a little silly of him to be this scared of a teenage girl but something about her was just…off.

“Jinx…this is my roommate Jayce”, Viktor introduced them and Jinx met Jayce’s eyes. There was something in her gaze, a form of raw hatred that made Jayce take another step back.

“I know”, she said and the statement made him even more uneasy. He was going to comment on it but quickly got shut out of the conversation again as Jinx turned to Viktor.

“Viktor you promised to come home on the weekend…I waited all day…” She said quietly and Viktor sighed.

“I’m sorry, Blue…I had a lot of work”, Viktor answered gently while tying the braids with some type of metal clip. 

“But you promised…you promised, Viktor”, she muttered. She repeated the word ‘promise’ to herself quietly and Viktor looked at her with gentle eyes.

“Blue…I’m so sorry I just got busy”, he said and Jinx’s blue eyes flickered over to stare at Jayce. 

“With…with him?” she asked quietly and Viktor suddenly looked panicked, even though he tried to hide it. 

“Blue he’s not a danger, don't touch him…you can’t touch him please... please, Blue”, Viktor pleaded and she looked up at him. 

“I won’t…” she muttered and wrapped her arms around Viktor tightly, clinging to him and the sight turned the once scary girl into a small vulnerable child. He glanced up at Jayce, who was still staring at them. Jayce wanted to ask so many questions but it really didn’t seem like the right time.

“It’s okay Jayce…this is just my sister”, Viktor said urgently and Jayce’s mouth fell open. His sister? She had seemed so cute when Viktor talked about her. This wasn’t really what he pictured. Viktor tore his eyes from Jayce’s shocked expression and put his full attention on the girl again.

“Blue…you can’t be here, it's not allowed”, Viktor said in a very careful manner. Extremely aware of the fact that one working word could trigger her. 

“Yes I can…” Jinx mumbled, still clutching him like he could disappear at any moment. Viktor looked over at Jayce before sighing softly. “I don’t want to go home if you’re not there…” she whispered and Viktor put his forehead close to her’s. 

“Dad is going to be mad if he finds out you’re gone”, he said gently and she looked away, taking deep breaths. Viktor immediately held her tighter and pressed a kiss to her temple, trying his best to calm her down. Jayce was still observing them, trying to analyze the nature of this moment. It both surprised Jayce and made his heart flutter in a weird way to see Viktor being so gentle and loving with the girl. He had never seen Viktor this…vulnerable before. He would’ve considered it adorable if he wasn’t aware of the fact that this girl seemed to hate him. For what, he couldn’t understand yet. 

“Come on, I'll take you home…” he said and stood up, grabbing his cane. Jinx reluctantly left his embrace but still clutched his hand tightly. He looked over at Jayce with an apologetic look. He wished he could stay here with him but he needed to prioritize Jinx.

“I’ll see you later”, Viktor said and Jayce nodded. 

“Yeah…i'm looking forward to it”, he said before he could stop himself. Did he just say that out loud? He mentally facepalmed and waited for Viktor’s response. But to his surprise Viktor smiled slightly. 

“Me too…”, he said and Jayce returned the smile. He gave Viktor one final look before he disappeared out the door with Jinx.

Well outside the door Jinx seemed to be doing better. Happy that her brother was coming home with her, holding his hand in a bruising grip. She hummed a tune to herself while fiddling with Viktor’s shirt sleeve. A seem had gone up and she was pulling at the thread, Viktor didn’t mind though and was just happy she wasn’t freaking out anymore.

“Blue…you really can’t sneak in here you could get caught”, Viktor said and Jinx let out a laugh. 

“I’ve never been caught before you know…” she said with a grin. Viktor frowned at that, even though he knew she could take care of herself he couldn’t help but worry. He could never forgive himself if something happened to her.

“Yes I know that but it doesn't mean you should. And are Silco not mad that you snuck out? He usually wants you home by seven”, Viktor said and Jinx shrugged. 

“I wanted to be here”, she muttered and Viktor sighed. Sometimes he saw himself in Jinx. She was stubborn and although her actions sometimes spoke against it she was brilliant, something Silco and him worked hard on making her believe. 

“Well I’m gonna need you to stay home you can’t be in Piltover there are enforcers everywhere. It’s way too risky”, Viktor scolded and he looked an awful lot like his dad at that moment.

“Ugh you sound like dad!” Jinx exclaimed and sighed dramatically. That made Viktor frown, he did not like to be compared to his dad. 

“Jinx, take that back right now”, Viktor said in a stern voice, which only made Jinx giggle.

They made their way to Zaun and finally reached the lanes. Jinx skipped around like always, while Viktor walked in his slow pace behind her. The sky was dark gray and the time was way past midnight. One thing he did like about Piltover is how many stars you could see. Constellations decorating the dark sky in marvellous patterns, none of it could be observed from Zaun. Almost immediately after they stepped into the house he heard an agitated voice echo through the halls. 

“Jinx! Jinx where were you!” Silco explained and the usually cold and collected man looked like a complete mess. He ran up to her and pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly.

“I wanted to go to Viktor…” she muttered as Silco pulled back and cupped her face, inspecting it for any injuries. 

“You went to Piltover?! Are you out of your mind? Anything could have happened!” he scolded and Viktor kinda understood where Jinx was coming from when she compared him to their dad earlier. 

“That’s what I said”, Viktor chimed in and Silco threw him a quick glance . He sighed and let go of Jinx before ordering her to her room. He leaned on the wall and looked over at Viktor.

“She misses you a lot”, Silco mumbled and Viktor nodded. He knew how important stability was for Jinx and him leaving so suddenly to go to the academy rocked that carefully built up stability.

“I know…she broke into my dorm and played around with a bomb right in front of my roommate. He was terrified”, Viktor muttered and Silco tried suppressing the feeling of pride bubbling up inside of him. Scaring Pilties and breaking into places she wasn’t allowed. That’s his daughter right there, a real champion. 

“Well…did the bomb go off?” He asked and Viktor shook his head in disbelief.

“Of course it didn’t because then we’d be dead!! She needs rules and stability. Can you at least try to limit her a little?” Viktor pleaded and Silco sighed deeply, rubbing his temples.

“She has way too much potential. She will become so powerful, she’ll be unstoppable…" he said and Viktor decided to finally put his foot down.

“She’s a child not a weapon!” He hissed and Silco stopped in his tracks, staring at Viktor. That cut deeper than he was willing to admit. 

“I am her father. I know what’s best for her”, he said in a cold voice. “Go up to your room right now”, he ordered and Viktor shook his head.

“No I’m going back to my dorm…I have studying to do”, he said and Silco looked away, trying to collect himself before speaking.

“Viktor you were going to come home on weekends we talked about this,” he said, trying to keep his voice gentle despite the frustration building up inside. It hurt watching his son defy him like this. “And it’s not safe walking home all the way to Piltover right now…and with your leg”, he added.

“My leg will be fine and besides …no one touches me or Jinx here in your little kingdom. We both know why that is”, Viktor said before turning and walking out the door, leaving Silco alone in the dark quiet hallway.

Silco stared at the now closed door. He took a deep breath, using every amount of his willpower and stubbornness to keep himself from going after his son. His son, his boy. He remembered the times when Viktor was practically glued to his side. Always looking up at him with that childlike wonder and curiosity. He missed Viktor an awful lot, even though he wouldn’t admit it to himself. He missed how Viktor would help Jinx with her things and encourage her and he missed Viktor’s presence even if he was just reading in a corner. Some would argue that Silco took Jinx and Viktor in as a part of his plan of taking over the lanes but no amount of anything could overshine his love for them. They were his kids and right now he was losing one of them. Viktor was almost grown up, he had his own opinions and dreams and he was slipping through Silco’s fingers. He desperately wanted Viktor back with him but sending him to the academy was the best thing for him, he would be selfish to keep him with him. He gathered himself before going up to check on Jinx. He reached her room and knocked on the door before opening the door. On the bed sat Jinx, scribbling something on a paper. 

“Jinx we need to talk about something, you can’t go to the academy and visit Viktor he comes to us okay? I know you miss him but we’re fine here just us, right?” Silco said and Jinx glanced up at him before returning her attention to the drawing. Silco strolled over to her and glanced at the paper. A drawing of a boy that Silco didn’t recognize. 

“What’s this, Jinx?” he asked and carefully took the paper from her. Studying it he noticed the academy uniform, he was hanging with a rope around his neck and bright red X’s over his eyes.

“It’s just someone I need to remember …” she said quietly. 

Chapter Text

When Viktor arrives at his dorm it’s about two in the morning and he’s exhausted. His leg is cramping up and he just wants to go to bed, to shut his brain down and forget about Silco and Jinx and all other earthly problems. It’s eerily silent and when he opens the door he expects the room to be empty but…Jayce is there. He’s half asleep on the bed but when he hears the door open he quickly sits up, squinting as the light from the hallway blinds him. He relaxed as he realized it was Viktor.

“Oh …I didn’t think you’d be back”, he murmured, voice husky with sleep. He watched as Viktor walked into the room, limping more than usual due to overusing his leg. Jayce immediately picked up on it and his brows furrowed in concern.“Are you okay?” , he asked as he moved to stand up. He was only wearing a pair of boxers and Viktor’s ears turned dark red. Luckily it was way too dark to notice anything. 

“I’m fine Jayce go back to sleep”, Viktor said and to his horror Jayce did not put on a shirt nor did he go back to bed, he decided to walk up to Viktor. 

“No, your leg seems like it’s hurting. Do you need any help? What do you usually do when it hurts? Massage it? Do you need an extra pillow?” Jayce rambled and in combination with the tired eyes and the morning voice and lack of a shirt he looked way too attractive for Viktor to be comfortable with. 

“Massage? I’m sorry Jayce but you’re not massaging my leg”, he said while limping over to his bed. He sat down on the bed while scrunching his face up in pain and not even one second later Jayce hurried over to kneel in front of Viktor. He couldn’t really decide if he was being cursed or blessed by the universe at this moment. 

“Are you sure? I can help”, he offered and Viktor looked down at him, barely making out his eyes in the dark room. 

“No I’m fine Jayce …”, he muttered and Jayce frowned as he refused the help. He was worried about Viktor and also a little curious over his sister and her sudden appearance. She had just shown up there and their dynamic was so…odd. There was a bit of silence before Jayce spoke again.

“Hey…how is your sister? Is she okay? She seemed a little …unstable”, he asked carefully and he could sense Viktor immediately tense up at the statement. He shifted slightly on the bed, subtly moving away from Jayce in an unconscious attempt to shut him out.

“Don’t ask, it's none of your business”, he muttered and Jayce nodded. He knew better than to push Viktor and decided to just leave it and go to bed.

“Okay …wake me up if you need something …anything”, Jayce said and squeezed Viktor’s knee before standing up again. As much as Viktor resented it he could feel butterflies stirring in his stomach. Jayce made his way over to his bed again and glanced over at Viktor. He was

sitting on his bed, tracing the drawings on his cane with his fingers, the paint was starting to flake and Viktor scraped some of it off with his nail. As usual he looked like he was deep in thought and Jayce contemplated whether or not to ask him what he was thinking of. But he didn’t want to disturb him and decided to go to bed again. He kept his eyes open and glued to Viktor for as long as he could before he dozed off.

Sleep didn’t come to Viktor that night. But that wasn’t an unusual occurrence at all, actually those nights were more common than the ones where he was blessed with sleep. He laid awake all night staring at the ceiling trying not to think of anything. However something kept ringing through his mind, the boy at the other side of the room. He was so kind, so naturally caring and so nice in so many ways. From the way he smiled to the way he spoke even down to the smallest bit of details and actions it was all so so lovely. Very unlike the people he grew up around. He thought about Jinx, maybe she could’ve been just as kind as Jayce if things didn't turn out like they did. A loud snore shook him out of his thoughts and he couldn’t keep the smile away from his face. At first he found it unbearable but now it was just amusing. He himself had always been a light sleeper, waking up at every little sound, very unlike Jayce. 

In the morning Jayce woke up and immediately turned to Viktor’s bed. He was struck with worry as he found the bed empty and he was just about to call out for him when he saw that he was wide awake at his desk. The whole area was covered in papers with texts and equations. How long had he been awake for? Jayce grumbled as he sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. The sun was shining outside and as Jayce sat up he felt his joints protesting. He let out a low grunt and Viktor turned his head to watch Jayce. 

“Morning”, he said before returning to the papers on the desk, twirling the hair in his neck. Jayce hummed in response before pulling a shirt over his head. After a little while of trying to wake up he stood up and walked over to Viktor where he was crouched over the desk.

“What are you doing?” he mumbled and peaked over Viktor’s shoulder. 

“Just some equations I- oh your breath is terrible go brush your teeth or something”, Viktor said and scrunched his nose up. Jayce immediately drew back and covered his mouth. 

“It does?” he mumbled, voice slightly muffled by his hand. Viktor nodded and picked up his pen again to return to work. Jayce went into the bathroom to brush his teeth. After he was done he tried to fix his insane bed hair, doing his best to look presentable before hurrying back to Viktor.

“What are we doing today?” Jayce asked excitedly and Viktor frowned slightly in response.

“We? What do you mean we?” He said perplexed, his accent really coming out with his confused tone. Jayce adored Viktor’s accent, he had never heard it from anyone other than Viktor and it was like music to his ears.

“Yeah I mean we both have nothing to do today so I thought maybe we could study or work on our project or do something else”, Jayce suggested while a bright smile spread over face. Viktor’s eyebrows furrowed, he wasn’t expecting Jayce to suggest spending actual time together outside of their shared project.

“Well …um what do you usually do with your …um” Viktor fumbled after the right word to use. Could he say friend ? Viktor had never really had friends before. Except for Jinx and Silco if that counts, which it probably didn’t. Maybe he could consider Sky a friend but he really hadn’t made efforts to socialize beyond the absolute necessary. He felt a little awkward as he struggled to come up with a fitting word to describe them. Luckily Jayce spoke before the silence stretched for too long. 

“With my friends? I don’t know …what do you usually do?” Jayce asked and Viktor shrugged. Friends ...did Jayce count Viktor as a friend now? For some reason he really really wanted Jayce to count him as a friend. 

“Maybe we should just work on our project”, he said, really trying to sound casual about the whole friendship thing . What a wonderful thing, friendship. He had observed it a lot of times and never really understood the appeal, but right now he loved the word. It seemed to come so naturally to Jayce, which was something that both fascinated and frustrated Viktor. He couldn't help but wonder what could have been if he wasn’t so painfully awkward, if he was charming like Jayce and beautiful like Jayce. He felt an ugly thing come to life in his chest, a resentment towards the other boy. The kind and beautiful boy, the wonderful Jayce Talis. Likable in such a striking way that even Viktor couldn’t help but find himself swept up in his charm. 

“Yes, that sounds good!” Jayce said with a broad smile and it made Viktor snap out of his thoughts. He felt shame stain his cheeks a pale pink. He didn’t want that ugly thing in his chest, he wanted to be beautiful like Jayce. He wanted Jayce’s kindness and he wanted to be kind to Jayce. Maybe it was selfish to yearn for something that he was so incapable of expressing himself but for the first time in his life he really really wanted someone to like him, even though he had no idea why that was.

Jayce had suggested going to a place that served breakfast  before getting to work and Viktor agreed. He didn’t usually eat much but for what he had seen in the cafeteria so far Jayce had a huge appetite. Which wasn’t exactly surprising since he had a decent amount of muscles, a fact that Viktor couldn’t bring himself to dislike. They were walking down the street and the sun was shining. The warmth of the sun spread through their bodies and the silence of the early morning only served to add to the comfortable atmosphere. 

“It’s such nice weather here…we don’t get days like this in Zaun”, Viktor said, a rare smile playing on his lips. Jayce looked over at him and a warm feeling, that had nothing to do with the weather,  radiated through him. How beautiful. Just that small smile lit up Viktor’s entire face. Jayce almost forgot that Viktor actually said something and hurried to answer.

“Yeah …yeah it’s very nice. I hate the cold”, he said, remembering what the cold made him endure as a child. His mother and him almost died from frostbite and ever since he couldn’t stand the cold. Viktor, who wasn’t aware of that, didn't see any depth in the comment and continued their promenade to the breakfast place in silence. They arrived at the place and Jayce looked over the menu. 

“What do you want?” he asked and Viktor glanced at the menu before answering.

“A coffee”, he said and Jayce frowned. 

“Just a coffee? Aren’t you hungry?” He said, eyebrows furrowing in concern. “You need to eat properly”, Jayce urged and Viktor scoffed.

“I don’t usually eat that much. I'm not hungry in the morning”,  Viktor said and Jayce shook his head.

“No you need some nutrition and energy, breakfast is the most important meal of the day”, Jayce argued and Viktor smiled slightly.

“Your mom told you that?” Viktor said in an amused tone, which caused Jayce to frown again. 

“Yes …but that’s besides the point you still need energy for the day”, Jayce continued to argue and Viktor shook his head. The small smile still refused to leave his lips as Jayce's concern grew.

“Jayce I can assure you I’m entirely fine with just coffee”, he reassured and Jayce was just about to object and continue the debate but the waitress came around. She took their orders and after a while she came with the food. Jayce immediately picked up his fork and started shoveling the food into his mouth. He was starving since the last thing he ate was that absolute monstrosity of a dish that Viktor introduced him to yesterday. Viktor watches as Jayce indulges himself in the pancakes, how could one consume that much? The sight made him smile nonetheless as he reached for the sugar packs. He then proceeded to pour not one, not two, not even three but four packs of sugar into his coffee. Jayce glanced up in between bites to look at Viktor and stopped chewing as he saw what he was doing.

“Um …what are you doing?” Jayce said after he swallowed the mouthful of pancakes. 

“Preparing my coffee, what else?” he said as he stirred the coffee with a teaspoon. Jayce glanced down at the mug before looking up at Viktor with a sceptical expression.

“That’s not coffee anymore, not when it has more sugar than actual coffee”, he pointed out and motioned to the empty paper packages on the table. Viktor looked a little offended and stopped stirring in his coffee.

“Mind your business I drink my coffee however I like, I’m not here commenting on what you’re eating”, he said and motioned to Jayce’s plate.

“What’s wrong with my food?” Jayce protested and Viktor scoffed.

“It’s like a pound of pancakes. How can you possibly be that hungry?” Viktor asked which Jayce let out an offended huff at. 

“Well I like pancakes so what? And I happen to have an appetite! But at least I don’t drown them in sugar,” he said while Viktor grabbed his mug and took a big sip.

“I’ll have you know this is delicious and if you don’t drink it like this you’re doing it wrong.” He said confidently before Jayce scoffed and took the mug from Viktor. He watched in surprise as Jayce casually took a sip of his coffee, putting his lips where Viktor’s had been. For some reason the action Jayce performed so naturally made Viktor incredibly flustered. He stared at Jayce as he let out a hum of dissatisfaction, his features twisted into disgust as he put the mug down with a clonk.

“That’s disgusting…ew how can you drink that”, he muttered and Viktor struggled to recover from whatever that action just stirred in him. When he finally regained his wit he spoke again.

“Something is seriously wrong with your taste buds if you don’t like that”, he said and took his mug back, glancing down at the bit of porcelain where Jayce’s lips had rested. He ran his thumb over the place, tracing the invisible mark.

“No…you have killed your taste buds with sugar and whatever that thing we ate in Zaun was”, Jayce huffed and Viktor’s eyebrows furrowed at the statement. 

“You told me you liked it”, Viktor objected and Jayce froze. He really really hated that purple blob but he remembered how happy Viktor had seemed when he said he liked it. After a moment of fumbling with what to say he spoke.

“No I totally did …it was so good”, he lied as Viktor studied Jayce. He narrowed his eyes and inspected Jayce as if trying to determine whether or not he was lying or not. After a little while Viktor leaned back in his chair again and Jayce flashed him a smile.

“Yeah…I know it is good I love salamanders”, he said and Jayce almost choked on his pancakes.

“Salamanders!? You fed me salamanders? No wonder it tasted like shit!” He exclaimed and Viktor covered his smirk with the mug. As he looked up and saw the expression on Jayce’s face he couldn’t hold it back anymore and he bursted out laughing. Jayce gagged slightly and

tried to keep away the strong urge to throw up. “I’m gonna be sick”, he muttered and closed his eyes while taking a deep breath. Meanwhile Viktor was wheezing with giggles at Jayce’s reaction. 

“Oh you’re such a bad liar”, he managed to get out between fits of giggles. Jayce stared at him in shock, mouth slightly gaping with realization.

“You knew I lied and you just let me keep eating it!? What type of friend are you?” he said accusingly and Viktor smiled slightly in response. Friend...friend friend friend he found himself borderline obsessed with that simple word. He was Jayce's friend. 

“Yes it was terribly funny”, he said before coughing and laughing wildly. Jayce frowned deeply and crossed his arms.

“How dare you, you are evil” he grumbled but they both knew he didn’t actually mean it. They met each other's eyes and smiled at the same time.

“So are you eating your pancakes or not?” Viktor asked after he stopped laughing, which took a while.

“You know I lost my appetite…let’s just go home and work on the project”, Jayce muttered and they paid their bill. On their way back it was a bit more crowded so Viktor kept close to Jayce’s side as they made their way back to campus. Suddenly Viktor felt a light hand at the small of his back when they reached a particularly packed street, guiding him through the crowd. His first reaction was to push the hand away but when he looked down and realized it was Jayce he refrained from avoiding the touch. He glanced up at Jayce, who was busy looking over the crowds. The touch felt oddly nice, it was comforting and Jayce’s hand was really warm. He found himself leaning into the small touch until they reached campus and Jayce pulled his hand away. To Viktor’s surprise he found himself longing for the touch, just a little. He quickly shoved the desire down as they reached their dorm.

The rest of the day was spent working and planning their water filter. To his surprise he actually liked working with Jayce, he had never had a partner before and no one in Zaun had ever challenged him like Jayce did. When he first got paired up with Jayce he wasn’t hoping for much, he assumed Jayce would be like all other Pilties and look down on him. But Jayce was far from the stereotype Viktor had sorted him into. Aside from being the nicest person ever, he was also brilliant and understood Viktor and how his mind worked. Maybe Piltover wasn’t so bad after all.

Chapter Text

Pow pow. The sound echoes through the room before Jinx reloads her gun again. Pow pow. She doesn’t miss, she never does. The mannequin had fallen down due to the impact of the bullets. Its limbs were twisted in weird angles and Jinx walked up to the lifeless form and studied the damage she’s done. 

“You’re dead now! Poof gone!” she said and the statement was followed by a wild giggle attack. “Oh come on …you’re finally quiet? No response? You’ve lost your wit, man…” she said and kicked the mannequin's head. It popped off and went flying into the wall. “Look now you’re even more dead!” she said and reloaded the gun. She aimed and delivered a final shot that planted itself right on the pale white forehead of the thing. “Dead!” she exclaimed and blew the smoke from the gun’s barrel. She smiled and put the gun into her belt before turning to the door. Silco wants you home now. He needs you home now that V is gone. Vi is gone, and Viktor is gone. Gone. No Viktor isn’t gone he’s just gonna be away for a while he promised. He promised.

She slid out of the abandoned arcade and started making her way through the quiet streets. She hummed softly to herself as she jumped up to a half broken ladder, leading to the roofs. After reaching the top she walked along the edge. Just fall. It’ll be nice. Swooshing in your ears, just like when the gun goes off. Swoosh swoosh just a swoosh away. You won’t even have to jump, it's just a fall, just relax and let go. Tell your legs they don’t have to carry you anymore tell them they can rest. Maybe it’ll be like drowning, just like dad says. Air is like water in a way, not like fire. It can be cool on your skin and bring peace and comfort and it’s beautiful and free. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, the fumes of the city mingling with the faint smell of motor oil. It’s a comforting smell, maybe not for most but she remembers that time Vander spilled motor oil on his shirt and it stank up the whole last drop. JUMP. 

“Jump they say … jump jump jump!” She exclaimed and opened her eyes, the gloomy gray sky meeting her gaze like it was angry at her. Maybe it’ll be peaceful and maybe the world will go quiet for a while. No more gloomy skies or sunshine, no more torture and no more love. She stared down at the street below before balancing on one leg. 

Go on, fall. 

A loud noise distracted her from the voice in her ears. It was just a gunshot but enough to gain her attention. Pow pow. She backed away from the edge. 

“NO! shut up! I have to go home, I can't fall ”, she huffed and continued her walk. She climbed down and landed on the hard concrete. Go home now. You have to go home, Powder. NO! It's Jinx! Shut up, shut up! Her name is Jinx she’s a jinx stop saying it wrong!

She took a deep breath before she hurried back home, she needed Silco. When she stepped into the house she hurried up to the second floor to Silco’s office. When she walked inside he sat there like usual in his office chair, the room had a comforting smell of leather and just a

tint of tobacco. When she entered Silco glanced up from his papers and when he saw that it was her he put them down.

“Jinx…what do you want?” He asked in a cold manner as she walked up to him, climbing into his lap. She settled there and put her head on his chest. He hesitated before he ran his hand up and down her arm in a comforting motion as she nuzzled into his neck. The scent of tobacco clung to the fabric of the collar of his shirt. She inhaled deeply, focusing on the familiar scent. 

“They want me to fall…” she mumbled and Silco sighed. Jinx closed her eyes and savoured the comforting feeling of being in his arms. “They want me to listen to the swoosh swoosh as I fall”, she whispered and he stroked her cheek lightly with his knuckles. She tilted her head into his hand as if seeking out more touch and she sighed softly, the familiar gesture soothing the voices echoing through her head.

“You’re not gonna fall, Jinx. You’re stronger than them…” he muttered and she looked down. He picked up the injector from the desk and handed it to her. “And besides …I need you here and if you fall …who’s gonna fix my eye for me?” he said and she straightened up, studying the injector before grabbing Silco’s chin. Jinx tilted his head up and brought the needle to his eye. He met her eyes as she injected the bright purple substance into his eye. He threw his head back and let out a groan of pain as he blinked rapidly. Jinx drew back while putting the device back on the desk. When he finally collected himself again he spoke.

 “See? I need your help to do that …so you can’t let them win. They are nothing to you okay? Nothing”, Silco said and Jinx nodded.

“I want Viktor to come home again”, she said quietly and the statement made Silco sigh. It’s been three weeks since he’d last been home and Silco knew it was his fault that Viktor was distancing himself. 

“I know…so do I but we can’t make him stay here…” Silco said coldly and Jinx looked up at the ceiling, lost in her own mind again.

“Make him come home please”, she said after a while, pouting slightly. The face she gave him caused him to sigh softly, he was weak for that pout.

“I can’t make him do anything”, he said, the words bitter in his mouth. Jinx moved off of his lap and sat down on desk, fiddling with a seam from her pants. She swung her legs slightly as Silco observed her. 

“I can make him. I can go there”, she said and traced the handle of her gun with the tip of her finger. Silco glanced down at it and shook his head. He knew all too well where her mind was at. 

“I…I will call him”, he said reluctantly and Jinx lit up for a moment. Her once gloomy expression changed into a small smile.

After she left he sat in silence for a moment. He wanted Viktor home again, and besides his own selfish wish for his son to come back Jinx’s mental state was also on the line. They were telling her to jump again. He picked up his cigar and lit it, inhaling deeply before letting out a big cloud of smoke. He sighed as he picked the phone up, there was no reason to postpone this. After talking to an irritatingly nice woman she finally promised to give the phone to Viktor who apparently was at some form of study group in their library. He held his breath as he waited for Viktor’s voice.

“Yes? I’m kind of busy”, he said in a short tone and Silco sighed. He hated that voice, hated his son sounding so indifferent while speaking to his own father. He was just about to start scolding Viktor of how to address the man who raised him but stopped himself since it would probably only make matters worse.

“I need you to come home, if not for me then for Jinx”, he said and tried keeping his voice drained of emotion like usual, but didn’t quite succeed. Viktor could surely make out the slight desperation in Silco’s voice. Deep down he wanted this phone call to be about them, about how he wanted his son back. Not as some sort of obligation he felt towards Jinx but because Viktor wanted to be his son . 

“How’s she doing?” Viktor finally said and Silco sighed while tapping his cigar lightly. The ashes crumbled from the tip and floated down to land on his ashtray which was covered in colorful blue drawings.

“Well not good otherwise I wouldn’t be calling”, he muttered and he could hear Viktor sigh on the other end of the line. There was an uncomfortable silence that stretched for way too long before Viktor finally spoke again.

“Fine.” That one word made Silco relax and he suppressed the strong urge to smile.

“Okay then I expect you home by Friday. Jinx will be looking forward to it”, he said and resisted the urge to add that he too would be looking forward to his son’s return. Viktor said goodbye before hanging up.

“Tik tik. The monkey goes tik tik”, Jinx mumbled to herself as she tossed the small gadget from hand to hand. “Then when you least expect it the monkey goes BOOM!” She exclaimed as she threw it up in the air, time seemed to stop and the world felt like it was slowing down for Jinx as the small monkey ticked and ticked in the middle of the air before exploding in a rain of purple and pink sparks. She spun around and let out an excited squeal as she watched the tiny lights rain down like star falls. When the spectacle ended she returned to her desk and sat down. “That could be bigger”, she muttered and picked up a scrap of burnt metal that used to be the bomb. Viktor will be so proud, he will love it. She couldn’t wait for Friday. She

would show him her new invention and that other boy wouldn’t matter anymore. He will be so proud. 

Just when she was about to start calculating just how to make the spectacle of the explosion even more grand, the door opened. Silco walked inside and she glanced up, a broad smile plastered on her face. Her mood had drastically changed since she got the news that Viktor was coming home. She stood up and tossed one of her inactive flame chompers to him.

“What do you think about that huh?” She said as he caught it. He studied the bomb, shifting it from side to side to inspect the engineering. A small smile crept up on his lips. It was absolutely brilliant.

“What’s your plan for these? How do they work?” He asked as he traced the colorful drawings with his thumb, noticing that it also had what looked like a jaw.

“So when you pull the pin they start to chomp”, she said and pointed to the jaw of the thing. “And they cling to someone so they can’t get them off before it goes BOOM!” She exclaimed and Silco nodded.

“It’s extraordinary…” he said and the praise sent a surge of warmth through her. This was something she could do, this was something she could make him proud with. No matter what they said in her head they couldn’t take this from her. She was good at this and she was making Silco proud.“Are they finished?” he asked and she shook her head.

“They're just prototypes but they’ll work I promise”, she said urgently and he nodded. 

“I know they’ll work because you invent them”, he said and he sounded so sure of that and so sure of her that she couldn’t help but believe him. She grinned while taking the device back and Silco observed her as she walked up to her desk. The desk was covered with scraps of metal, colorful drawings and gadgets. It was a clear reflection of her mind and creativity and although Silco preferred things to be neat and clean he never told her to be any other way than her own. 

“I need you to go with Sevika and monitor a shipment of updated shimmer”, he said and she turned around before nodding eagerly. 

“Of course”, she said and grabbed her gun, sticking it into her belt as she stood up. He let out a pleased hum at her eagerness and she smiled brightly. “When should I go?”

Jinx made her way downstairs later in the night, ready to do whatever Silco asked her to. She picked her gun up and checked the magazine to make sure it was full. Besides her gun she also made sure to load up on devices that could come in handy, even though Silco had assured her it was a low risk mission. You could never be too ready after all. If a situation did accrue it would be the perfect opportunity to test out her flame chompers. She could already

imagine the metallic screeching of the jaws locked down before they exploded. BOOM! Imagine the terrified look on the person’s face as they knew that she was the one who did it. Silly little pow pow, are you sure you’re ready for that? Yes, she's sure. She can do it, Silco said so and Silco knows best. She’s done it before and she can do it again, for Silco. 

She walked out the front door and stopped, squinting her eyes to try and make out where Sevika was. When Jinx spotted her she skipped over to her and grinned. At the sight of Jinx Sevika immediately rolled her eyes and sighed.

“So I’m stuck with you today, leftie?” Jinx said and Sevika rolled her eyes. She pushed off the wall she was leaning against.

“Just because you happen to be liked by the boss doesn’t mean I’ve forgiven you for this”, she muttered and nodded to her robotic arm. The tubes of shimmer shined slightly in the darkness and illuminated her grim face. Jinx grinned and crossed her arms.

“Well at least it looks cool, an upgrade if you ask me”, she teased and Sevika scoffed. As much as she would like to keep holding a grudge against Jinx for what happened to her arm she found herself unable too. She cared way too much about her.

“Maybe I should chop your leg off so we can match”, she threatened and Jinx grinned again. 

“That’ll have to wait since we’ve got things to do!” She said before skipping ahead of Sevika down the narrow streets. Sevika quickly hurried to catch up with Jinx since she didn’t want to let her out of her sight. Jinx seemed really excited and it made Sevika’s usual scowl turn into a small smile. Jinx hummed on a tune as she spun her gun on her middle finger, scanning the streets with her eyes. Down a dark alley lanky bodies sat leaned on the walls, the shine from Sevika’s arm lit up their haggard faces. When they saw the bright purple substance they sat up straight, staring at it with wide eyes. One of them started reaching for the light, his withered muscles making a tremendous effort to lift his weak arms, in pure desperation from the drug he lived for. Sevika immediately grabbed Jinx’s arm and put her behind her before walking away from the half dead addicts. 

“Stop playing around and keep close to me”, she ordered, her tone revealing that she was more worried than angry. Jinx rolled her eyes and kept walking, closer to Sevika this time. Finally they arrived at the abandoned warehouse. The wind was howling and the sound made Jinx slightly uneasy, it was so violent and sounded so desperate like an actual person was crying. The sky was a deep dark gray and they were the only people out on that street. She glanced around before pulling her gun from her belt, ready to strike if needed. Sevika was at ease though, way too used to this to feel bothered over something as simple as a creepy atmosphere. She walked with confident steps and Jinx followed closely behind her. Sevika noticed that Jinx seemed to have lost some of her usual playfulness and confidence, it was sometimes hard to remember that she was a child. At the end of the day she was just a

fourteen year old. A genius, dangerous, maniac fourteen year old but a fourteen year old nonetheless. 

“There’s nothing to worry about. We’re at the top of the pyramide here”, she said and it served to sooth Jinx slightly. 

“I know that. Now let’s get this over with, leftie”, she said before they walked into the warehouse. The place seemed deserted and Jinx’s blue eyes flickered around to every corner of the place trying to determine if they really were alone. Sevika grabbed a switch on the wall and pulled hard, expecting the lights to turn on. The only thing reacting to the switch was small lights on the sides of the wall flickering to life. It was a weak light and Jinx glanced up at the ceiling and the only thing there was shattered light bulbs and big holes in the ceiling. 

“Looks like we’re waiting here in the dark …maybe that’s for the best and I won’t have to look at your ugly mug”, Jinx said and smiled up at Sevika. Very satisfied with her insult. Sevika let out something between a growl and a sigh as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

“You’re treading on thin ice”, she muttered and Jinx let out a loud giggle. 

“How long do we have to stay here huh? When will the others arrive?” She asked while walking further into the big empty space. Sevika stayed by the switch and observed Jinx as she strolled around the place.

“Don’t know …the shimmer is up those stairs and we just need to keep an eye until they get here. It’s a pretty big load and an update too so we can’t afford it getting in the wrong hands”, she said and Jinx rolled her eyes. 

“I could be doing better things right now you know”, she said and turned to Sevika.

“And what else could you be doing with your precious time?” She asked before scoffing.

“Maybe work on something you know. Maybe think of upgrades to your arm, since I helped build it”, she said smugly and motioned to Sevika’s robotic arm.

“Yes I know since you made sure to put your touch on it”, she said and lifted the arm, revealing the bright pink streaks of color forming a heart. Jinx smiled broadly and the sight caused Sevika to roll her eyes yet again.

“Come on it’s just some decoration really lights up the whole brown theme you’ve got going on”, she said and just when Sevika was about to snap at her the sound of glass breaking filled the once silent building. Jinx immediately raised her gun and looked up to see what caused the noise. Three people on hoverboards had broken through the big glass window and they were heading right towards them. A small smile appeared on Jinx’s lips. Finally something fun. She raised her gun and fired a shot towards the tall man in the middle wearing a gas

mask. He ducked and was just about to deliver a swing with his axe to her neck he froze. Even though it was dark he could still see that she must be a teenager, just a kid. She pouted slightly, big blue eyes staring into his soul. He fell for it and suddenly her pout twisted into a satisfied grin. That small moment of hesitation was all she needed and to his shock she jumped up and grabbed the handle of his weapon, yanking it down and putting him off balance before he could even register what was happening. He fell off the hoverboard and just managed to roll away from the rain of bullets Jinx had aimed towards his chest.

 Come on, Powder! How useless are you? Mylo was right about you, you can’t do anything! 

“Shut up…”, she whispered and raised her gun again, aiming right at the man’s head. But just when she was about to pull the trigger Sevika called for her attention.

“Go check the shipment! now!” She commanded and Jinx’s eyes immediately shot to the stairs. She groaned dramatically and threw a glance at Sevika who clearly had her hands full with the two other intruders. She had pulled the lever on her arm and Jinx knew she would be fine on her own so she decided to listen to Sevika for once and check on the shimmer. She was not happy with having to leave the man but she knew she had to check on the shipment. The attack was likely made to reach the new shimmer and Silco would not be happy if they succeeded. She reloaded her gun while walking down the long corridor on the second floor, the empty magazine falling to the floor with a soft clink. She could still hear the sound of Sevika fighting against the intruders on the ground floor. Sounds like she was winning, like always. At the end of the hall there was a big steel door, protecting the shipment. She yanked the door open and the rattling sound echoed through the hallway and she stepped inside. There was a big pile of boxes in the middle of the room and the tubes of bright purple shimmer in them filled the room with a soft glow. Her eyes flickered around the space, searching for threats. At the left side of the room she could make out a movement. She raised her gun and pointed it to the boy who had made the movement. She started walking towards him, gun raised and steps filled with confidence. 

She wouldn’t miss this time. Mylo was wrong. She can do this. 

No she can't, she's useless just like she’s always been. You’re useless, Powder. Little Pow pow will never be anything but a useless Jinx.

She stared at the boy as she moved closer. Why wasn’t he attacking? Why was he only standing there frozen? Was it fear? She had seen people freeze in fear many times. She had pointed a gun at people many times and she had watched hate and fear and anger fill their eyes. But this boy wasn’t moving. She couldn’t see his eyes since he was wearing some type of mask but that didn’t matter. He would be dead soon anyways. Dead like everyone else she crossed. Dead like all the people she had Jinxed. Dead like Vander and Mylo and Claggor. Jinxed by Jinx. Not Powder. Jinx. 

“Powder?”

Did she hear that right? was it a voice? She couldn’t tell anymore. She definitely heard a voice but she couldn't tell if it was a fiction of her imagination or if it was a real actual voice. Her finger trembled on the trigger as she stared at the boy. Did he just say Powder? She hadn’t heard an actual person say that name since the incident. The boy stepped out into the soft glow from the shimmer and before she could react he reached for his mask. Not his gun but the mask that hid his face. He pulled it off and revealed his face. Nothing could have prepared her for what she saw. Big dark eyes met her own and it was a familiar pair of eyes. Sure they seemed more tired than when she last saw them and they were filled with shock but it was definitely them. After so many years of not being able to trust her own mind she had to question if the boy was real or not. But this boy had never appeared like this. This boy had never tormented her and had never haunted her. He had never appeared as a ghost from the past out to get her.

“Powder?” The boy repeated and when he spoke she recognized his voice too. Further confirming exactly who the boy was. She let out a choked sound and her gun fell to the floor while she took a step back. Suddenly there were no voices in her head and she could only think about one word. One name and it wasn’t Mylo, Vi, Vander or Silco. 

Ekko.

Chapter Text

After the phone call with Silco, Viktor returned to the library to continue his studying. Jayce had insisted on joining a study group and Viktor had reluctantly agreed even though he had trouble understanding why it couldn’t just be the two of them. The group was currently sitting in the library and as usual everyone was talking to Jayce. He hated how everyone was all over him all the time, he understood why but he still wanted Jayce for himself. Jayce was his partner and he wanted the other students to understand that. Viktor returned and sat down next to Jayce and it was pretty crowded at the table so they sat really close together. Suddenly he felt Jayces hand on his knee, squeezing softly trying to gain his attention. Viktor had still not grown used to all the physical touch that came with being close to Jayce so he jumped slightly at the sudden contact. He glanced down at Jayce’s hand and how it dwarfed his knee and he took a deep breath before looking up to meet Jayce’s eyes.

“What was that call about?” Jayce asked gently and Viktor sighed.

“It was just my father…he wants me home on Friday”, he said and Jayce’s eyebrows furrowed.

“Everything alright? You sound a little troubled”, he asked softly and Viktor couldn’t help but smile at the concern and how much Jayce genuinely cared. 

“It’s fine I’m just a little worried about my sister that’s all”, he said and Jayce nodded while withdrawing his hand. He didn’t know a lot about Viktor’s dad and their relationship since Viktor never spoke about it, and he knew better than to ask. But it didn’t seem like Viktor had a great relationship with his dad, he alway tensed up whenever he was brought up and Jayce couldn’t help but wonder why that was. They went back to their studies and after another hour their free period was coming to an end and they had to head back to classes. Jayce and Viktor walked together to their next shared lesson which was mathematics. As much as Viktor liked doing equations and mathematics as a subject he absolutely despited the teacher. Ever since Viktor solved the professor’s equation and embarrassed him in front of the class he seemed to have become a target for the teacher. Which made no sense since it wasn’t his fault that the equations happened to be easy. They arrived pretty early to the lesson so there were plenty of empty seats and they sat down next to each other. The professor seemed to be in a particularly foul mood and Viktor already knew it would somehow be taken out on him. The whole class was preparing for the upcoming exam and the professor had made it abundantly clear that it was extremely hard especially for someone who came from a place like Zaun. He doubted that someone like Viktor could pass his exam and he wanted Viktor to know that.

“So this test will be very hard , harder than anything you’ve ever had to face I imagine”, the professor said to Viktor, who could only roll his eyes in response. Not this again. He was just about to ignore the obvious insult when someone next to him spoke up.

“Why do you always say that to Viktor? You act like he’s weak and you always assume his mind is beneath yours even though he’s proved the opposite many times.” Jayce was the one

who had spoken and Viktor turned to him, staring in shock. Jayce was standing up for Viktor and telling a professor off just for him. He was protecting Viktor even though it could backfire on him. But why bother standing up for him? He didn’t deserve it, he really wasn’t worth it.

“Jayce leave it”, Viktor mumbled but Jayce only shook his head in response. He looked genuinely upset and was ready to confront the teacher. He turned to the professor once more and was even more determined to tell him off now.

“You need to stop treating your students like that, just because they happen to be smarter than you”, he said confidently. Viktor would have appreciated the praise if it wasn’t for the look on the professor's face as Jayce said that. His face was crimson red and he was clenching his teeth so hard it wouldn’t be surprising if they shattered. 

“You’re talking back, Mr Talis. I really expected more than that from someone of your background. Be careful with who you choose to surround yourself with because it will reflect back on you”, he said and Jayce scoffed. 

“I’m perfectly capable of deciding that myself, pro-” Jayce couldn’t finish the sentence before Viktor grabbed his hand in an attempt to stop him from angering the professor further. He gave Jayce a look again which caused Jayce’s face to soften. This really isn’t worth it. Viktor had met this kind of treatment his whole life and he really didn’t want Jayce getting in trouble just for him. One prejudiced professor was nothing, one of all people who had looked down on Viktor. He knew they didn’t matter, he knew they shouldn’t. His father had always told him that. People had always seen him as a crippled zaunite but that’s not all he was. It didn’t bother him all that much, he would show them. They would see one day that they were wrong and he would be so much more than they ever were, but not now. Right now there was no point in getting upset over something as simple as a stupid professor. What would bother him right now though was if Jayce got in trouble. 

“Fine…” Jayce said and leaned back in his chair again. Abandoning the argument with the teacher, who luckily decided to ignore Jayce’s sudden outburst and continue the lecture. He squeezed Viktor’s hand tighter and Viktor suddenly realized that he was holding Jayce’s hand so he drew it back. The small contact was already making him flustered and as much as he hated to admit it he liked it. Jayce’s eyebrows furrowed as Viktor withdrew his hand and despite his best efforts on gaining his attention again Viktor was just ignoring him now. Staring at the blackboard to avoid Jayce’s gaze, because if he did look at Jayce again he wasn’t sure what feelings that would cause and he absolutely wouldn’t be able to handle them.

After class Viktor quickly gathered his things and stood up, wanting to leave the class as soon as possible. He ignored Jayce’s voice behind him as he hurried down the corridor and didn’t stop until he felt Jayce’s hand on his shoulder.

“What happened? why’d you leave?” He asked and Viktor sighed, moving slightly to the side to avoid Jayces gentle hand. 

“Why do you persist? Why are you so hellbent on trying to be my friend? It’s futile”, Viktor said in a short tone, which took Jayce aback. His brows furrowed and he searched Viktor’s face for some type of explanation for the sudden mood switch. Why was he acting so strange? Things had been going so well. Why was he switching up all of a sudden?

“What do you mean? You are my friend. I was standing up for you. Why are you suddenly so angry?” He asked in a confused tone and Viktor scoffed. Why? The answer was that he liked it a bit too much. He liked that Jayce was proving that he actually wanted to be Viktor’s friend, but why would someone as beautiful and fantastic as Jayce even bother? Viktor had always known that he would never have anyone in his life that cared for him aside from Silco and Jinx. They were a family and it would always be just them. But all of a sudden he had a friend. A beautiful, perfect friend that he wanted to spend all his time with and have for himself. But Silco had told him hundreds of times that friends were nothing to have. Friends were unreliable and a weakness. So why was he so drawn to Jayce despite knowing that? Why did he want Jayce even though he knew it made him weak? Why was he so selfish to want Jayce even though he knew he didn’t deserve it?

“You don’t even know me, Jayce! You have no idea what I’ve done and you don’t know me. Stop acting like it”, he hissed and Jayce stared at him. That stung. He knew Viktor. He cared about Viktor. He knew how Viktor liked his coffee and he knew what type of music he listened to and he knew that his ears turned bright red whenever they touched and he knew that he liked Viktor. He knew that he wanted to make Viktor’s coffee just how he liked it even though it was way too sweet and he knew he wanted to listen to the type of music Viktor loved even though he didn’t like it himself and he knew he wanted to keep touching Viktor. He wanted to touch Viktor and watch his ears turn bright red and he wanted to feel his pale cold skin against his own even though Viktor rarely allowed it. And most importantly he wanted Viktor. He wanted Viktor. 

“I don’t really care what you’ve done or whatever and don’t tell me I don’t know you because I do. Stop trying to push me away because you’re just wasting your time with that. I’m not going anywhere,” he said in the most determined tone he could muster. 

“Jayce, just stop. Leave me alone. I’m not worth the effort just stop”, Viktor said before taking a step to leave and Jayce had to stop himself from reaching out to touch Viktor. 

“Can you stop? Can you just let me care?” Jayce said and Viktor froze in his attempt to leave. 

Care? 

“What do you mean by care?” He said. Afraid of the answer he was going to get, but not as afraid as he was desperate to hear it. He wanted Jayce to care. Even if that would make him

selfish he wanted Jayce to care and he wanted Jayce to keep trying even though he wasn’t letting him and even though he wasn’t worth it.

“Well I care about you. Don’t you get that?” Jayce said and Viktor had never heard a more perfect sentence. The way it fell so naturally from Jayce’s lips and how pretty his lips were and they were so pretty that it seemed impossible not to stare at them.

“Well you shouldn’t”, he said in a cold voice. In that moment he tried mimicking how his father talked. The absolute control he had over the syllables and how he was so detached from the meaning of them. He remembered all the times he and Jinx had made fun of that. How he ordered everyone around and never really sounded like he actually cared. Now he understood why his father talked like that. To control the emotions he shouldn’t be feeling.

Jayce was staring at him with actual tears in his eyes. Viktor had never seen tears caused by something like this before. He had seen angry tears and tears of sadness and even tears of joy. But he couldn’t understand why Jayce was crying. He wasn’t worth crying over and he could see no logical explanation for Jayce to start crying right now. He looked so desperate and sad and there was something in his gaze that Viktor couldn’t quite place. 

“Just because we’re partners doesn’t mean you have to be my friend”, Viktor said and the statement was so final and so drained of emotion that Jayce couldn’t come up with an answer. He didn’t even have the chance to respond before Viktor left, limping away as fast as he could with his cane. Jayce was left alone in the corridor wondering what went wrong. He was finally making progress with Viktor and he was finally getting through and it had all been good. Was that all for nothing? No. He was determined to keep trying. 

Viktor had stopped in an empty corridor and he was out of breath and barely keeping the tears away. Don’t be weak. His father was right about friends making you weak. He wasn’t a cryer, it took a lot for him to shed tears but all of a sudden one argument with Jayce was causing him to break down. He dug his nails into his palm in an attempt to ground himself but it wasn’t working. Why did he do that? Why was he pushing Jayce away? Everything inside of him was screaming to just let Jayce in and give in to all the weird desire that came with being in the same room as him. But he knew why. He knew deep down that he didn’t deserve Jayce. Not after everything he had done. Also if Jayce was causing his walls to crumble this easily then friendship could mean nothing but trouble. He could feel an intense pain start to form in his chest and he found himself gasping for air. Jayce…Jayce Jayce Jayce that stupid name didn’t leave his mind. He wanted Jayce . He wanted his soft touch even though it was just for a second. He wanted his comforting voice and gentle gaze. He wanted everything that made Jayce Jayce even though he knew he didn’t deserve it. He needed Jayce like he needed air right now because for some reason he couldn’t breathe at the moment and it was with one hundred percent certainty caused by the fact that Jayce wasn’t here. Jayce skin wasn’t pressed against his own and that was stealing all the air from his lungs. 

Jayce

But you are not worth it, Viktor. You are not worthy of Jayce. Not after everything you’ve done.

Viktor was fifteen and he sat in Silco’s lab. He stared out the big window separating him from the dark murky waters, silently planning on what to say to Silco. He glanced over at his desk and the notes and test tubes filled with bright purple liquid. The soft glow of the substance that he helped make. He had been so sure it would make life in the lanes better. It would be given to the people and maybe they could use it for good and they could get rid of their weaknesses. Maybe he could even use it to cure his own faults. But after so many tests and seeing the drug in action he knew something had gone horribly wrong. The subjects hadn’t recovered after being exposed to shimmer and they were left permanently addicted. One test on a rat ended in it clawing its own eyes out from withdrawal, it was absolutely horrible. He stood up and walked over to the desk, picking up a tube with the substance in. He held it up to the light and watched the liquid’s soft glow. How could Silco consider this finished? Clearly it was terribly flawed and it needed a lot more work. He had to find a way to get rid of the side effects before anyone else came to harm. Just when he was putting the tube down he heard a cold voice behind him.

“What are you doing, son?” The voice of his father echoed in the spacious room and Viktor turned around to look at Silco. His eye was glowing slightly in the dimness of the hall and Viktor sighed slightly. 

“I was just thinking…” he said and turned to look out the window, following a big ugly fish with his gaze. He felt his father’s presence behind him but chose to keep his eyes locked into the dark polluted waters. 

“About useful things I hope”, he said and came up to stand beside his son, gazing down at the cane in his grasp. What a stupid weakness for someone to have. A part of his son he wishes to erase from the world. But soon he would be able to. Soon that leg would be cured and he wouldn’t have to hear the godawful sound of that cane tapping at the stone floor. He wouldn’t have to watch his son fail at such a simple thing as walking on his own. But most importantly he wouldn’t have to watch his son suffer like he did now. 

“I was just…trying to think of ways to fix the shimmer”, Viktor finally said and Silco scoffed.

“I’ve told you already, Viktor. We don't need to fix it, it's perfect as it is. Actually I think it’s ready for human testing”, he said and the statement caused Viktor to freeze. Human tests? He stared up at his father.

“What are you talking about? Human tests? It’s not ready for anything of the sort”, he said urgently but Silco wasn’t faced. “Please, dad…you can’t do this, it won't do any good for the people”, he said and Silco scoffed.

“You’re naive Viktor. This will help us” , Silco said with a cold voice and Viktor couldn’t do anything but stare up at the man who was supposedly his father. Was this really him? He couldn’t tell anymore. 

“But it’s more dangerous than we initially planned and I don’t think it’s a good idea to start testing on actual humans!” Viktor said urgently and Silco shot him a glare. 

“Stop talking back, Viktor. I know what’s best for you, I do whatever it takes for us. We are a family and we do whatever it takes, nothing will ever mean more than you and me. This is the best possible thing and frankly I don’t care what you say about it”, Silco said and Viktor couldn’t meet his eyes at that moment. 

“I just-“

“No, Viktor. You don’t think about the important things. You live in this little fantasy world where you could make an actual difference and help people. These little ideas you have will serve to be nothing but weaknesses to you. Viktor, you are weak”, he said and his voice was so detached and different from how he used to talk to Viktor that he had trouble taking it in. He could feel tears burning in his eyes and he had to use every ounce of willpower he could muster not to cry. 

“I…I’m not weak, Silco”, he said, purposefully avoiding using the word dad. Silco’s carefully composed facial expression faltered for a moment before he quickly snapped back to his usual demeanour and sighed.

“You are. Viktor your mind is brilliant but you have to change your attitude and no matter how great your brain is you’re still physically weak”, he said and Viktor looked down. The man he looked up to, his dad and the only person who cared about him thought he was weak. He watched Silco pick up the small tube of shimmer, holding it up for Viktor to see.

“This is power, Viktor. This is control. This will give us power and you can’t hold onto your weaknesses. This little thought you have of curing people and helping, that’s a weakness. The power is ours and we will get it and this is the way there”, he said and Viktor stared at the bright purple liquid. “So we’re doing a human test and you’re gonna watch and take notes”, Silco said and Viktor reluctantly picked up his notepad. He knew he wasn’t about to defy his father, partly because he couldn’t be a disappointment. He had been a disappointment ever since he was born with this stupid leg. He couldn’t let Silco think so too. 

Silco went to get “the test subject” and when he arrived with a boy about Viktor’s age he felt a knot form in his stomach. This wasn’t good. He looked at Silco as he spoke with the blonde boy and to Viktor’s surprise and absolute horror the boy was agreeing to take the serum. Was he out of his mind? Did he not know this was his end? Silco glanced back at Viktor and signaled for him to start taking notes. Viktor grabbed his pen and notepad and looked at the

blonde boy, who was studying the bright purple liquid. He looked so confident and weirdly happy about being given this opportunity. He was so oblivious to it all.

Silco backed away and stood beside Viktor as the boy drank the shimmer. For a few seconds it seemed like it didn’t have any effect, the boy looked back at Silco with a questioning look. Just when Silco was about to ask Viktor why it wasn’t working the boy let out a blood shilling scream that seemed to echo through the halls and Viktor’s very bones. Silco put a hand on Viktor’s shoulder and put himself in between the boy and Viktor, his protective instincts kicking in as he stood ready to defend Viktor if needed. The boy’s muscles began swelling and the veins popped up from his pale skin and began glowing with a deep dark purple. His eyes lit up with a soft blue light as the whites of his eyes turned dirt gray. He stumbled and steadied himself on the wall, disoriented by what was happening to him.Viktor observed the creature in front of him that was once a child. He never would have guessed the thing was human if he didn’t actually know. 

What had he done? What did he create? 

The walk back to the undercity was long and tiring and it was already dark when he reached the lanes. But he couldn’t go back to his dorm now. He knew that if he saw Jayces face now, those big hazel eyes, he’d do something stupid. Feelings he couldn’t understand would take over his body and force him to actions he would regret. He wanted to touch Jayce and tell him how much he meant to him and open himself up to the other man and if he saw him right now that impulse would be unstoppable. So, even though he didn’t want to return home he decided that he’d rather face his dad than Jayce right now. He moved through the narrow streets at a slow pace and looked around in the alleys. Sometimes he caught a glimpse of a half dead addict who laid there in the dark. It hurt to look at them, knowing that he created what ruined their lives. He was the cause of all this pain. The thought was almost too much to bear. All he ever wanted was to help, to bring a cure to all the problems in Zaun. Now instead of helping his creation was ruining people’s lives. He thought of Jayce, what would he think if he knew about everything Viktor had done? Would he still want to be his friend then? He wanted to believe that it wouldn’t matter to Jayce but even if that was the case it still felt wrong. All these feelings were messing with his mind. Feelings and weaknesses, the same thing really. They make you vulnerable and crazy and at the end of the day it’s better not to have any at all. He was better off alone, no matter what feelings he felt towards Jayce.

He finally reached home and stepped inside. It was eerily dark and silent and Viktor contemplated whether or not to go say hello to Silco or if he should just go to sleep, ultimately he decided to go greet his father. He walked down the hall and his footsteps echoed through the empty space. He wondered where Jinx was, maybe she was out. She definitely would have heard his steps and rushed over to hug him but the house seemed so quiet. Silco had probably sent her on a mission involving the shimmer production. A fact he hated. He was aware of just how genius and skilled Jinx was and he knew she could take care of herself but he still didn’t want Silco to risk her life like that. She was just a kid after all. 

When he reached the familiar door to Silco’s office he hesitated for just a moment before pushing the handle down. At the desk sat Silco and at first he didn’t look up from his work as he spoke.

“Jinx…you’re late I expected you to be home sooner”, he muttered while he looked through some papers. Viktor sighed softly before speaking up.

“It’s me, dad”, he said and as soon as Silco recognized that it was Viktor’s voice his gaze shot up. His eyes widened as he stood up from his chair, an overwhelming sense of joy washed over him at Viktor’s sudden appearance. Finally his son was home again.

“Viktor…what are you doing here? Did something happen?” Silco said, eyebrows furrowed in concern as he walked over to Viktor. 

“Yeah something did happen but it’s nothing you need to be bothered with. Where’s Jinx?” Viktor said in a detached tone. Silco really didn’t like how Viktor was speaking to him, even though he knew he should feel proud. All the times he had told Viktor to get in control of his emotions and stop being weak, it all resulted in this. He thought it would feel better to know that Viktor was finally listening to him but right now all he could do was miss the little boy he used to be. Eyes filled with curiosity and joy and wonder. He was all grown up now and he knew, he knew what type of person his father was and that scared Silco. He wanted Viktor to look at him like he used to, like he saw him as an actual father. 

“You can tell me anything Viktor, it won't bother me”, he said and he really did mean that. He missed the times when Viktor used to bother him with inventions and questions and ideas. After a long beat of silence Silco decided to speak.

 “Is it about a boy or…”, Silco asked carefully and Viktor just wanted to crawl out of his skin at that moment. 

“Oh my god, dad…no”, he muttered, even though that was a bit of a lie. The fact that Viktor’s cheek was bright red led Silco to believe that this was in fact about a boy, but he wasn’t about to force Viktor to talk about it so he moved on.

“I was just asking…there has to be a reason for your sudden desire to come home”, Silco said and Viktor sighed.

“Nothing you have to worry about now…where is Jinx?” he asked.

“Out monitoring a shipment”, Silco said and Viktor should have known, he should have known Silco wasn’t gonna listen to him and just keep using Jinx as a weapon. He was about to tell Silco off but he was interrupted by the door flying open. It was Sevika and she was out of breath and stood in the doorframe trying to collect herself. Silco immediately walked up to her, concern written on his face, he was just about to ask what had happened when she spoke.

“Jinx…I lost her…she’s gone.” The words sent a wave of shock through Viktor and fear overwhelmed him as he realized that something had gone wrong. His little sister was gone and it was because of shimmer and Silco’s stupid shipments.

“Sevika what are you saying? What happened?” Silco asked urgently, the same fear Viktor felt, edged in his eyes. 

“Some people tried getting to the shipment and she went up to check on it while I fought them off. When they left I searched the building and she was gone too”, she said and Silco tried his best to keep calm but his daughter was gone. 

Jinx is gone 

Chapter Text

“Powder?” The word was so foreign yet so familiar on the boy’s lips that it shook Jinx to the core. Or was she Jinx? The name Powder had come so naturally to the boy, like her face belonged to Powder. Not Jinx. Powder. 

“Ekko?” she whispered. As she tried to determine if this really was Ekko. He looked different from the last time she saw him. His hair was longer and the white locks were styled in dreads. He had grown taller and the muscles on his arms were visible in his tank top. He looked so grown up, so much had changed. But was this really Ekko? It would be more likely if the boy would have been a mirage, a ghost from her past to haunt her. Just another mind trick but when she said his name the corner’s of the boy’s mouth drew up in a soft smile. 

“Oh Powder…” He took a few steps forward to close the distance between them and Jinx was so frozen in shock that she couldn’t do anything when he embraced her. He clung to her like he was making sure she was real. He hugged her like she herself had hugged Viktor and Silco so many times just to make sure they weren’t a hallucination, the same desperation. He buried his face in her hair and brought one hand up to stroke her back. She should be doing something. She should reach for her gun and kill him. She should have made him dead just like everyone else, but something was stopping her. Ekko’s hand was warm and slightly calloused against her skin and the touch felt so right. 

“I’ve missed you so much”, he whispered and she slowly hugged back as she realized that this was in fact Ekko. This was really Ekko and it wasn't just her mind playing a prank on her. This was Ekko and she was clinging to him now. Desperate for the contact and warmth now that she knew he was real. A small smile spread over her lips as she savored the feeling of being in his arms.

“After…Vander and Benzo and Vi…I never thought I’d see you again”, he whispered and those names snapped her out of her thoughts. All those names pulled her from the comfortable daze of happiness that Ekko’s presence had put her in.

“Ekko…I’m not-“ she couldn’t finish her sentence before Ekko pulled away and looked behind her shoulder, searching the empty hall with his eyes for any possible threats.

“We have to get out of here Silco’s men are downstairs and they could come up here in any second”, he said urgently and grabbed her hand, pulling her with him. She was one of Silco’s men. She should stay here. She should shoot at the boy not hold his hand. What would Sevika say if she came in and saw this? What would Silco say? The thought of Silco made the whole moment all too real. But she was holding Ekko’s hand and that feeling was so strangely wonderful that she just couldn’t let go. But would Ekko still hold her hand if he knew that she was Jinx now? Would he still want her to come with him if he knew what she had done? She was…scared of him finding out. Scared of him finding out what she had become. 

Shoot him Jinx. Shoot him and destroy that boy.

The voice was so loud in her head that she actually reached for her gun for a split second. Feeling the familiar cold metal on her skin was such a contrast to the warmth of Ekko’s hand and the feeling of Ekko’s skin against her’s was so much better and it was so clear that she should be holding his hand instead of the gun. 

Go with him, Powder. It’s Ekko. Your Ekko.

Jinx was about seven when she met Ekko for the first time. She had moved in with Vander and even though she was young she still understood that her real parents were gone. Bad men had killed them and she saw their bodies herself. She saw her mother’s wide dead eyes and she knew she wouldn’t be able to hug her again, she wouldn’t be able to fall asleep in the comfortable embrace of her mother ever again. She had to grow up now. She had to grow up and be strong like Violet and Vander. 

“But I want to go with you! I can help I promise”, Powder whined and tugged at Vi’s pants leg, trying to gain her attention. Vi sighed softly and stopped in her attempts to leave. 

“I’ve told you already, Pow pow. This could be dangerous and I don’t want you getting hurt. Maybe another time, okay?” She said gently and Powder frowned. 

“But I can help!” She said and Violet chuckled, ruffling Powder’s hair playfully.

“You should have some friends your age that you can play with. We’re boring anyways”, she said and Powder pouted slightly as Vi reached over to grab a few papers and crayons.

“Here…maybe you can draw something while I’m gone”, she said with a soft smile as she handed them to her. 

Later Powder was sitting in her room, drawing with the crayons Vi gave her. She was bored out of her mind since Vi had told her that she had to wait in her room while she went out with some friends. Why was she never allowed to go with them? All she wanted was to help but apparently she was too young. She let out an over dramatic sigh and decided to go up to the last drop, maybe Vander needed some help. She hurried up the stairs and when she entered the room she saw him behind the bar. He noticed her in the doorframe and a soft smile spread over his lips.

“What’s the matter, Powder? Where’s Vi?” He asked as he watched her walk up to the bar, climbing up onto a stool. 

“She’s out…told me I couldn’t come with”, Powder mumbled and laid her head on the dark wood of the counter, letting out a deep sigh as she did so. She grabbed a straw from a mug and started fiddling with it, bending it in different shapes. Vander smiled slightly and ran a

gentle hand over blue hair, completely dropping whatever he was doing to care for his daughter.

“Well I’m heading off to a friend, maybe you can come with”, he suggested and she immediately brightened up.

“Yeah!” She said and slid down from the barstool, the sadness from before completely forgotten. Vander always had that effect on her, on everyone around him. His very presence made her feel safe and secure, like nothing could go wrong if only he was there to protect them. Vander grabbed his jacket and pulled it on before he took Powder's hand in his.

He walked out of the door and made sure to lock it behind him before he headed down the narrow streets. After a little bit of walking Powder let go of Vander’s hand and started skipping ahead, letting her curious eyes scan the streets.

“How much further?” She asked impatiently and glanced back at Vander. “You always walk so slow”, she complained and Vander chuckled.

“Am I too slow or are you just too fast? We’re not in a hurry you know”, he said and Powder giggled.

“You’re definitely too slow”, she said and Vander shook his head.

“You know not everyone can be an energetic seven year old”, he said and Powder scoffed.

“Excuses excuses”, she said and Vander ruffled her hair playfully.

“Come on we’re here, it’s just around the corner”, he said and she smiled. 

They stopped outside of a small shop. The display window was full of gadgets and all types of inventions and spare parts. Powder’s eyes scanned over all the things with great interest and to see all of the supplies sparked her creativity. She could make something really useful with all of those. Vander noticed her eyeing all the items and smiled.

“Calm down, we’re just here to talk with the owner. Not shop”, he said and Powder frowned slightly, letting out a huff of irritation.

“You can pout all you want but I’m not letting you build explosives just yet”, he said in a slightly firmer voice that showed that he wasn’t budging on this. Powder grumbled and opened the door to the shop, stepping inside. Behind the counter stood a large man with small round glasses and a receding hairline. He was studying a small gemstone through his glasses but when the bell at the door rang he looked up and when he saw that it was Vander he smiled broadly and put the stone down.

“Well fancy seeing your ugly mug around here”, he said and they both chuckled. 

“Well I’m only here for your delightful company”, Vander contered and the man was just about to speak up again when he caught sight of Powder and raised his eyebrows.

“And this lovely little lady must be Powder, I’ve heard so much about you”, he said and Powder smiled slightly in response, still holding onto Vander’s hand.

“Yes this is her”, Vander said with a proud look on his face. His daughters really were his pride and joy, and he made sure everyone knew that.

“Well I’m Benzo”, Benzo introduced himself before he shifted his attention back to Vander. They exchanged a look before Vander turned to Powder again.

“So we’re gonna chat for a bit and you could browse around for a bit, okay?” Vander said and nudged her further into the shop. She started making her way through the shop and it was like a jungle of gadgets, tools and gear so it wasn’t exactly hard to shift her attention from the conversations Vander and Benzo were going to have.  

Her eyes scanned over the many shelfs before they landed on something else, or rather someone. On a stool sat a young boy about her age, tinkering with a pocket watch and mumbling for himself.

“Shit …”, he muttered and sighed. Powder took a silent step forward and observed the thing in his hands. Immediately she noticed what he was doing wrong so she spoke up.

“You’re doing it wrong”, she commented and her sudden appearance made him jump. His dark brown eyes shot up to look at her and they widened as he saw that it was a girl his age. To his surprise she took the thing from him without asking and started inspecting it further, looking it over searching for an issue. There was a small cog on its side and she grabbed it and started twisting to tighten it further. The boy watched with wide eyes as she tinkered with the clock and after a few seconds it started ticking again.

“Wow…” he said and she smiled proudly. “How’d you do that?” He asked and she shrugged.

“I could go into detail but that’d be pretty boring”, she said simply and he smiled at her.

“What’s your name?”

“Powder”, she answered and a flash of recognition crossed his face.

“Oh you’re Vander’s daughter…I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m Ekko by the way”, he said and stuck his hand out for a handshake and Powder she took it.

“Nice to meet you”, she said and handed the small pocket watch back to him. He took it and looked down at it, inspecting the work she did. 

“What else do you do besides fixing stuff?” he asked curiously and she shrugged, suddenly feeling a little shy about talking with this boy.

“Well …I like to paint”, she said and that statement made his face light up.

“Really? Me too!” He said excitedly and she too brightened up with a big grin. 

To Powder’s surprise and absolute delight she spent the rest of the day with the boy. It was so nice being around someone her own age for a change and finally someone seemed to understand her. Sure Vi and Vander tried but it was always them and her. They were just so alike. Both were so brave and fearless and no matter how hard she tried she just couldn’t keep up. But now, talking with Ekko, someone was finally matching her. The same energy and creativity.

“You know it’s a shame that you’re the artist”, Ekko suddenly said as they laid on the floor with drawings and crayons surrounding them. Vander had left long ago, assuring her that it was okay for her to stay there with Ekko and Benzo and that he’d pick her up later in the afternoon. He was just as happy to see her get along with someone her age as she was. 

“Why is it a shame?” She asked, confused. Ekko looked down at his drawing again and hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“Well you’re just so beautiful …I think it’s a shame you’re the one drawing people and not the other way around”, he mumbled as a blush began spreading on his cheeks. The statement took her by surprise, she had never been called beautiful before. The word was even a little foreign to her. She knew a place could be beautiful and she knew a person could be beautiful but she had never considered herself to fall into that category. What made her beautiful then? Was it her hair or her eyes or her smile or was it something else? Maybe it was something about her that Ekko simply found beautiful. 

“You think I’m beautiful?” She asked just to make sure she was hearing right and Ekko nodded.

“Of course you are, you're the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen”, he said like it was the simplest thing in the world, like it was a fact and not just his opinion. He looked down at his hands, suddenly embarrassed that he said that out loud. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to just admit that and maybe she thought he was weird now. 

“Thank you”, she mumbled and when he glanced up he saw that she was smiling. The sight sent a surge of warmth through him. 

“Maybe I could draw you”, he suggested and she laughed.

“Me? You’re gonna draw me?” She giggled and Ekko nodded.

“Only if you’ll let me …and you’ll have to sit still so I can get everything right.”

Powder reluctantly agreed and Ekko grabbed a few pencils and a blank sheet of paper. They both sat up and he looked her over, pondering about where to start. He looked into her blue eyes and decided that’s where he would start. After a moment of hesitation he started drawing and just a few minutes later Powder started getting restless and tried peeking at the drawing.

“No, don’t move till it’s finished”, he said while quickly hiding the drawing from her. 

“Just show me the process I wanna see”, she complained and he shook his head with a big grin.

“Nope you’ll have to wait.”

After what felt like an eternity he finally put his pen down and looked the drawing over before frowning slightly. 

“I don’t-” he couldn’t finish his sentence before she grabbed the drawing from his hands. Her patience was completely gone now and she just wanted to see the final product. 

“Wow…”, she whispered and smiled as she looked at the drawing. 

“I’m not very happy with it, I don't think it does you justice”, he said quickly but she only shook her head in response.

“No it’s amazing you did great”, she said and he raised his eyebrows.

“You think so?” he asked carefully and she nodded rapidly. 

“You’re very good at this”, she said and the compliment made him flustered. He smiled slightly and looked at the drawing again, maybe it was good. 

Just when Ekko was about to speak again he heard heavy footsteps approaching and Vander appeared in the doorway. When she saw him Powder quickly stood up and ran up to him, throwing herself in his arms. He caught her easily and a soft smile spread over his lips.

“Did you have a good day?” He asked with a chuckle and she drew back.

“Yes! Please please please can Ekko come over tomorrow?” She pleaded and Vander glanced over at Ekko before nodding.

“Of course he can but now you have to come home for dinner”, he said and Powder squealed with excitement. She ran back to Ekko and hugged him tightly. He was a little taken aback by the gesture but quickly hugged back and he smiled softly as he leaned his head on her shoulder. After a few seconds the moment was broken by someone clearing their throat behind him. It was Vander and he was staring at the scene with crossed arms. They quickly let go of each other and Powder hurried back to Vander’s side.

“I have my eyes on you, little man.”

Jinx wasn’t really aware of what she was doing. Just a moment ago she was ready to shoot the boy beside her but now something inside her screamed to go with him. A part of her she constantly pushed down was taking over. Together with Ekko she was running across the rooftops, fleeing from herself. Ekko had told her they had to leave to get away from Silco’s men, completely unaware of the fact that she was one of them. Actually she was more than just one of Silco’s men, she was his daughter. She, together with Viktor, were the people closest to Silco in the whole world. A family. But at this moment she couldn’t focus on anything other than Ekko. 

He was holding her hand tightly as they ran, completely caught up in the fact that Powder was back. His Powder was finally back. But what exactly was she even doing in the warehouse in the first place? What was she doing there? In the heat of the moment he didn’t think it was strange at all. He even forgot about the original plan he and the other firelights had made about destroying the shimmer. Powder was more important right now. He was heading back to their base and he was taking her with him. Even though it was crucial not to let outsiders in, he could trust Powder right? 

He didn’t let go of her hand even as they reached the base and he glanced back at her and smiled.

“This is my home”, he said as she took in the surroundings with wide eyes. He had taken her though the tunnels of a massive abandoned sewer system and right at the center was the base he had talked about. She looked around and saw an actual real tree where someone had built a home. Around the tree there were other smaller houses and when she glanced up at the ceiling her mouth fell open. A night sky scattered with stars was visible and the sight was beautiful. She never thought she’d see a clear night sky like that from Zaun.

“Wow …”, she whispered and Ekko smiled slightly.

“I …I have something else to show you”, he said and she snapped out of her trans. 

With her hand still in his he led her over to the tree and there on the wall was a painting, on the wall someone had drawn faces. Her breathing hitched as she took in the sight.

Benzo, Claggor, Vi, Mylo, Vander and in the middle of them all a painting of Powder. Those were the faces that haunted her ever since that day where she lost them all. Seeing those faces caused a voice in her head to speak up.

You’re not that girl anymore. That’s not a painting of you, it's a painting of Powder. He hasn’t missed you, he missed Powder. You’re not beautiful in his eyes anymore.

She let go of Ekko’s hand and he frowned at the loss of contact. He watched as she pulled back while covering her ears. 

“Shut up …no quiet”, she whispered to herself and Ekko took a step towards her, concern and confusion edged in his face.

“Hey what’s wrong?” He asked gently and she glanced up at him, eyes filled with tears. The sight made his heart ache. Why was she crying? Did he do something wrong? She took a deep breath before finally speaking.

“Do you …do you still think I’m beautiful?” She asked with a trembling voice and Ekko’s eyebrows furrowed at the question. He took a moment to take in her appearance. All he could see when he looked at her was beauty. It’s always been that way, ever since the first day he saw her so many years ago.

“You’re as beautiful as the day I lost you”, he said quietly and without hesitation Jinx threw herself in his arms. He stumbled back at the sudden impact but quickly recovered and held onto her tightly as she let out a choked sob. They stood there for a long time, clinging to each other, ignoring the world around them as they just basked in the feeling of being in each other’s arms. Ekko pulled back slightly, just to rest his forehead on her’s. 

“Will you stay here?” he asked quietly and she hesitated. She really shouldn’t. She was supposed to be at home now, she was supposed to be at home with Silco. Instead she stood in the firelights base, clinging to a part of her past she should be erasing. 

“I don’t know if I can”, she whispered and he frowned. 

“Why not? Please I just got you back. I need to know where you’ve been all these years”, he said and she shook her head. She couldn’t tell him who she was now. He wouldn’t view her the same way if she did. The moment was too wonderful to give up just like that.

“I…maybe I can stay for the night”, she suggested and he nodded eagerly. 

“Absolutely, I just have to make sure the others get back safely and then we can speak.”

Ekko took her to his room and told her to wait there until he came back. The place was quiet and the only light came from a lantern on his desk. With careful steps she walked over to it and looked over the papers scattered all over the area. On the papers she saw plans, information about shimmer shipment, calculations of ambushes. She had to resist the urge to destroy them. 

She could light the tree on fire and the firelights would be destroyed, oh how proud wouldn’t that make Silco.

 All plans and resistance against his power would go up in smoke. If he found out she knew where the firelights base was located he’d be so so proud. 

But if you do that to Ekko…

Shut up. She’s not Ekko’s friend anymore, she's Silco’s daughter. She's Jinx, stop pretending otherwise.

She backed away from the desk and pushed down the voices to the back of head. On reflex she reached for the bombs on her belt. She could just blow it all up. Even if that meant she died, her final action would at least serve to destroy them too. And then the voices would go quiet. Slowly she hooked her finger in the pin of the grenade and just when she was about to pull Ekko came back. At the sight of him she let go of the pin and all voices went quiet as she saw his face.

“They’re not back yet. They’re probably hiding out somewhere, recovering. They can tell me about everything that happened when they get back”, he said as he walked up to her. Tell him what happened? Tell him about the woman and a blue haired girl working for Silco? The thought of the others telling him exactly who Silco’s men were made her panic for a second. She couldn’t stay here. She couldn’t stay here when they got back and revealed who attacked them.

“Okay … how about you tell me about how you’ve been”, she said and shifted the focus to Ekko. It was safer not to speak about herself right now. 

“Well …things have been rough. But I guess they’ve always been”, he said as he walked up to the balcony, looking up at the stars. Jinx joined him at the ledge and leaned her head on his shoulder, sighing as she let herself relax for a moment. Somehow being in Ekko’s presence made her lower her guard, something that never happened around anyone other than Viktor and Silco. They were silent for a moment before Ekko spoke again.

“Not a day has gone by without thinking about you and the others …I thought I lost you”, he said quietly and she glanced up at him, taking in his profile and the soft glow of the moon reflecting on his dark skin. She didn’t answer but then again that statement wasn’t exactly something that you could respond to. Days had gone by where she didn’t think of him. So many days where she was lost in her own head, voices screaming trying to bend her to their

will. Some days she was happy too, days with Viktor when she felt the safety of her family. Some days she was so focused on being Silco’s daughter that she forgot that she was her own person. 

“Why can’t you stay here with me?” He asked after a while and she tensed up.

“I have things to do …but I’ll stay tonight”, she said and he took that answer. He wasn’t about to ruin this with his nagging. 

If he could, he'd freeze time in that moment, turn the clock back over and over again to live in these seconds forever. Standing here looking at the stars with his Powder.

“Ever wish you could just stay in one moment?” He asked quietly and she nodded. She knew exactly what he meant.

Chapter Text

Silco sat in his office and they had waited for Jinx’s return for so long that evening had turned into early morning. In front of him Viktor was pacing back and forth busying himself with overthinking every single thing that could have possibly happened to Jinx. It was his responsibility to keep her safe but now he had failed.

“Is sending people out to find her really enough? Shouldn’t we go out and search for ourselves?” Viktor suggested quietly and Silco shook his head while sighing. 

“If she comes back we have to be here and I don’t want you overusing your leg again”, he grumbled and Viktor stopped pacing.

“My leg doesn’t matter right now! She could be having an episode somewhere and you’re just gonna sit here and wait for her to come home? She could have been taken or run off we don-“ he was interrupted by Silco’s sharp voice.

“I know what I’m doing, Viktor, this is none of your business!” He exclaimed.

“All of this happened in the first place because of you and your precious shimmer!” Viktor spat the words out like they were venom and Silco’s eyes went wide from the audacity Viktor had. Didn’t he understand anything?

“Viktor …don’t say that”, he muttered, anger bubbling up inside of him at Viktor’s accusation. 

“You care more about that stupid purple liquid than us!” Viktor practically yelled and Silco stood up from his chair, the sudden movement took Viktor by surprise and he took a small step back. 

“Nothing will ever mean more than you and Jinx! Everything I’ve done and everything I do is for YOU! Have you not understood that yet!?” He screamed and Viktor went quiet, shocked by his father’s sudden outburst. Shame caused his cheeks to burn bright red as he averted his gaze. He tightened the grip on his cane and took a deep breath, trying to come up with some sort of response but none came to mind. There was a long silence where Silco only stared at his son.

“Look at me”, he commanded and Viktor forced himself to meet his father's eyes.

“Right now our priority is Jinx and I need you home. I suggest that you take a few days off and return to school on Monday”, he said quietly and Viktor nodded slightly. He didn’t want to return to school right now anyways and he knew that if Jinx did come back she would need him here. The silence that followed lasted for an uncomfortable amount of time before Silco finally spoke again.

“Either you can stay here in my office with me or you can return to your room”, he said and secretly hoped for Viktor to say that he’d stay here with him. Sit together, even if no words were exchanged, and wait for news about Jinx. Without answering the question Viktor sat down in the chair again and buried his face in his hands, trying to shield himself from his father. Hide from his gaze and disappear. 

“I just want her to be okay”, Viktor whispered and Silco sighed, running a hand through his hair while trying to calm down after losing his composure like that.

“I know. Me too”, he said quietly and sat down behind his desk again. The wooden thing served as a barrier. Silco on one side and Viktor on the other. It’s where Silco talked to his lackeys, where he ordered people around. A clear physical thing to distance himself from whoever sat on the other side. Even if that person was his own son. Someone who made him weak. As much as he’d like not to, he cared more for Jinx and Viktor than anything else. It made him weak in a way but there was nothing he could do about it. 

Affection, the fatal flaw running through his life. 

There was an awful lot of silence. No Jinx to fill the void with her chatter. It was only them now. The whole night went by without any sign of her. Just waiting was pure torture for Viktor and he couldn’t take it anymore.

“I’m going out there”, Viktor muttered and picked his cane up. He reached for his gun and checked the magazine before standing up with the help of his cane. 

“No you’re not you’ll stay right here”, Silco ordered and Viktor huffed in irritation.  

“I’m going out and finding my sister. I don't care who I have to cross”, he said and Silco could see the determination, the fire, in Viktor’s gaze. He saw it because he too had that same fire, it’s where Viktor got it from in the first place. 

“Viktor you’re not in shape for that”, Silco said with a sigh and that statement made Viktor genuinely angry. Even though he was usually not the one to pick up a gun or lose his composure, the thought of Jinx being in danger just caused all logic to fly out the window.

“I’ll have you know-” before they could start fighting again a sudden sound interrupted them. 

The sound of light footsteps came from the hall and both Viktor and Silco froze. Gentle tapping of footsteps echoed through the empty house and Viktor reached for his gun, raising it in preparation to face whoever had broken in. The door to Silco’s office slowly opened and instead of an intruder he saw Jinx in the doorframe. As soon as Viktor registered who it actually was he dropped the gun and the metal thumped against the wooden floor as it landed besides his feet. Without further hesitation Viktor rushed over to Jinx, not paying the pain that

shot through his leg any mind. When he reached her he wrapped his arms around Jinx and clung to her.

“Blue…god we were so worried”, he whispered and didn’t even notice that she wasn’t hugging back, she was just standing there frozen. 

“You’re home”, she whispered breathlessly, eyes wide with surprise. He pulled back and nodded, his hand coming up to stroking her cheek slightly in a comforting manner. 

“You’re home”, she repeated and when the words finally sunk in she smiled slightly, not even hesitating before pulling him back into a tight embrace. He of course returned it and after a few moments of standing there he felt a hand on his back. Before he could register what was happening he felt Silco wrap his arms around them. A hug. This type of affection was rarely shown by their father but as Silco felt the relief of having his two kids back with him he just couldn’t resist anymore. The three of them stood there for a long time, enjoying the rare display of affection, before Silco pulled back and spoke up.

“Where were you, Jinx? We’ve been worried sick! What happened?” He asked urgently and Jinx looked down. 

She couldn’t tell them. They couldn’t possibly understand why meeting Ekko meant so much. They certainly wouldn’t allow it either. Firelights was one of the few groups that made resistance against Silco’s position of power and the whole shimmer industry. How could they possibly understand why the leader of the firelights meant so much to her. The bond they shared. That she now, after spending the night there, knew where their base was. She sat on valuable information that could help Silco …but she just got Ekko back. Something inside her just wouldn’t allow her to let him go.  

“I …I was just out. I had to clear my head for a bit”, she muttered and silently prayed that the short answer would be enough.

“Sevika told us that you disappeared right in the middle of an ambush”, Silco said sharply, not quite buying the whole story. 

“Well I just …I couldn’t stay there it was all too much”, she whispered and Viktor shot Silco a glare. Clearly not happy about how much pressure Silco was putting her under. He had told him she wasn’t ready for all this and he was right, like always.

“Well next time you come straight home do you hear me? We deal better with it together, okay?” Silco said and tried making his voice more gentle. Jinx nodded slightly in response, relieved that he accepted her story and let it go.

Later that day Silco went to Viktor’s room. He had a feeling something was bothering Viktor so he thought he could attempt to offer some type of support. Even though they weren’t as

close as they once were, Silco still missed Viktor terribly. Everything that they used to share and how excited Viktor was about everything, how much affection and feelings Viktor used to show as a kid. Silco really wasn’t allowed to complain though, since he was the one who created the distance between them in the first place. He was the one who taught Viktor to be better, rise above things that were as useless as affection. To be strong and powerful and in control. 

When he entered Viktor’s room he found him sitting on the bed, clearly deep in thought. 

“So …how have things been at the academy”, Silco finally said, breaking the silence and at the sound of his voice Viktor glanced up.

“There’s no need for small talk”, he said and the statement made Silco smile slightly. 

“I know, son but it’s an actual interest I’m trying to express”, he said and Viktor raised his eyebrows.

“It’s harder than I thought I’d be”, Viktor admitted, both to himself and Silco. But of course he didn’t mean the studies, those made sense. Material to study and equations to solve had always been his thing. It was the all over experience of Piltover, the culture, the people …or rather one specific person. Despite this Silco wasn’t a mind reader and assumed that things being hard meant Pilties harassing him.

“Hard? You mean people have been giving you a hard time?” He questioned sharply and Viktor couldn’t help but smile slightly.

“No …I mean of course they don’t view me as equal and sure they’ve made some comments but that’s not the main issue”, he said and Silco relaxed.

“So what is it then?” Silco asked with furrowed brows.

The question made Viktor hesitate. Should he talk about the real issue? No he couldn’t

possibly ever put into words how Jayce made him feel. It was a mystery, an equation too complex to be reduced to something as simple as a sentence. Even if he suddenly mastered the art of expressing himself he certainly wouldn’t tell his father about such intimate things. Despite that he’d like to vent to someone. He always dealt with his own mind by himself and maybe it’d help ease the burden if he …shared. 

“Well it’s just … how pilties are”, he said simply. The words were such an anticlimax to what he was feeling. They sounded flat and trivial compared to the true nature of his feelings. 

“Pilties? Pilties plural or one specific piltie?” Silco questioned further and Viktor sighed.

“I’m not sure how comfortable I am with you knowing”, he said and Silco frowned.

“I raised you I think I have the right to know”, Silco muttered and Viktor couldn’t resist the urge to roll his eyes.

“Are you playing that card? Really?” 

“I’ll play whatever card I have to”, Silco contered and Viktor, who knew how stubborn his father was, knew he wouldn't let this go. After a moment of gathering his thoughts he spoke.

“Um …well it’s just my roommate he’s a little annoying”, Viktor said and something in his voice quivered at the word annoying. Annoying wasn’t the word he’d use to define Jayce. Kind, wonderful, loveable, all would describe him better than annoying. Even though that too was on the list. 

“A little annoying?” Silco raised his brows. 

“Actually I’m just a little stressed about the studies I have a few projects I need to do”, Viktor said, quitting his original plan of speaking with Silco about Jayce. For some reason they just couldn’t exist in the same conversation. They were polar opposites after all. Silco was paranoid and cold while Jayce was so full of love and kindness. 

“Fine have it your way”, Silco grumbled and left the room.

Meanwhile Jinx was in her room, thinking of everything that had happened. Ekko had promised they’d meet again. When she left early in the morning Ekko told her to meet him again by the old arcade. She couldn’t decide if she should go or not. It would mean betraying Silco to connect with someone from her past, someone that reminded her that she deep down always had a part of Powder with her. Someone who called her by that name. 

Powder. 

But with Viktor home again she was reminded how good things were with Silco. Their little family was intact again and the person who fit into that family isn't Powder. The person she was with them wasn’t the same person she was with Ekko. With them she was Jinx. Two different names and two different lives fighting over her, pulling at her mind like a constant tug of war. 

Jinx was Silco’s daughter and Viktor’s little sister, a fighter and a genius who created weapons of destruction. Powder was Ekko’s best friend, a kind child who liked to draw and spent her time dreaming of helping people. The two people who belonged in different places, two people who couldn’t exist at the same time. 

But there wasn’t any harm in trying to be both, right? 

As much as she’d like to devote her existence to Jinx she couldn’t let go of Ekko. The safety and the memories. Good memories, she couldn’t think of any bad memories with Ekko. No mind tricks or ghosts, only the innocence of childhood and happiness.

She could allow herself that, right? Allow herself to have Ekko in her life and still be Jinx. 

The next day she was happy again. Viktor was home and he was spending all his time with her. The voices were quiet, she was not Jinx nor Powder right now. She was Blue, she was Viktor’s sister, she was safe with him. They sat in her hideout and she was showing him her latest inventions.

“Do you like the drawings I made?” She asked as he inspected the small bomb, tracing the streaks of color that transformed the simple construction to something that looked like an angry green owl.

“Yeah you’re very good with colors …I think you should paint on stuff you’re not planning to blow up more”, he said and she giggled. 

“This would cause quite a powerful blast …make sure you place it somewhere good”, he said as he handed it back to her. 

“Of course I will and yes before you order me around further I will be careful”, she said and Viktor chuckled.

“Careful? When have you ever been anything close to careful?” His words caused her to laugh. It was true, she’s never been the most mindful person. The only reason she hadn’t blown herself to bits yet was Viktor.

Jinx tossed the bomb back and forth between her hands, a habit she had come to pick up when she was deep in thought. Viktor, who knew all Jinx’s nervous ticks by now, noticed how troubled she seemed.

“What’s on your mind?” Viktor asked gently and Jinx sighed. Could she tell Viktor? Would he understand? 

“I just missed you a lot” she said quietly and technically it wasn’t a lie. Everything had been a mess while he was gone and she did miss him terribly. She wanted to burn the academy down and make him come home again and for some reason the thought of his roommate kept bugging her. When she showed up at their dorm they had been smiling at each other and Viktor’s eyes had been so gentle. Was there something between them? No there couldn’t be. That would mean that Viktor liked Piltover. That would mean he wanted to be there and if that was the case there was a chance that he would leave her. She wouldn’t allow that, even if it meant getting rid of that boy.

“I missed you too”, Viktor said and she smiled. She wouldn’t lose him, he’d never leave her. 

He can’t.

After he spent the weekend at home with Jinx he was returning to school again. Monday morning came and before actually going to his morning class he had to swing by his dorm to pick up some notes. He had practiced the whole weekend with what to do when he faced Jayce again. He’d act as if nothing happened. Go back to silence and solitude and hopefully Jayce would play along in that script, after all his pride must have been wounded after the argument and if Viktor was in the same position he never would have brought it up ever again. 

He reached their dorm door and opened it. Immediately when he entered he saw Jayce and he looked like …an absolute wreck. He was sitting on his bed, a frown spread over his features. It was weird seeing his face like that, so tired. Dark circles under his eyes and hair slightly disheveled. A five o’clock shadow had grown out on his face and the state of the usually so happy and energetic man threw Viktor off. As the door opened Jayce slowly lifted his gaze and when he took in the sight of Viktor there he shot up from the bed. Staring at the other man like he must have been a hallucination. 

“Viktor …oh Viktor”, he whispered, as if the name was a prayer, and closed the distance between them in three steps. Without permission or hesitation he wrapped his arms around Viktor in a tight embrace. It was an act of desperation, clinging to Viktor as if he could disappear at any moment. Viktor stumbled at the sudden impact but managed to steadied himself on his cane, standing frozen in place unaware of how to handle this new situation. He had learned how to handle small amounts of physical contact over time. Their hands brushing together as they walked, reaching for the same thing, the occasional pat on the back but this was so much more. It was so raw and intimate. For a split second he considered pushing him off but he wasn’t strong enough for that, not physically or mentally. He was just as desperate as Jayce for the contact and connection, the affection. 

“You’ve been gone for days”, Jayce whispered and Viktor could detect a quiver in the statement. Jayce was about to cry. He could hear it in his voice and without another word Jayce let out a choked sob and tightened his grip on Viktor. 

“You can’t just disappear like that”, he mumbled into Viktor’s neck and the warmth of his breath against his skin sent shivers down his spine. Before he could answer Jayce pulled back slightly, but only to rest his forehead on Viktor’s. That one simple gesture was enough to make Viktor crumble. Every plan of acting indifferent went out the window as soon as he felt the delicious skin to skin contact. Jayce brought up a gentle hand to cup Viktor’s face. As they stood there Viktor couldn’t help but wonder if this meant as much to Jayce as it did to Viktor. The gesture of putting your forehead on someone else's was a great declaration of love and affection in Zaun and Viktor wondered if Jayce understood just how significant it

was. He desperately wanted Jayce to have performed that gesture with the knowledge of its true meaning, to share that deep affection. For him to share what Viktor felt, for him to mean as much for Jayce as Jayce did for him.  

“I was just home …” Viktor managed to whisper and Jayce ran his thumb back and forth over his cheekbone. The gesture was tender in a way Viktor wasn’t used to. He wasn’t foreign to affection since Jinx was his sister, who always managed to cling to him in some way, but this was different. Something gentle in Jayce's tear filled eyes spoke to Viktor. A communication that didn’t require words. A connection. 

It would be easy to lean forward and press a kiss to Jayce’s lips. His lips were only a breath away and Viktor resisted the sudden urge, the need, to act on impulse and just close the distance. The need was almost too much to bear. 

“Well you can’t just disappear like that again, okay? I care about you and I can’t stand not knowing if you’re okay or not. Never shut me out like that again”, Jayce pleaded and the eyes he gave Viktor as he said that made Viktor weak in the knees. Of course he couldn’t ever say no to those eyes. 

“Of course not”, Viktor whispered and Jayce pulled him into a tight embrace again and pressed a light kiss to his temple. The kiss sent a wave of warmth through Viktor and just when he started melting into the embrace Jayce pulled back. 

“God I’m sorry, I know that you don’t like touching I shouldn’t have done that”, Jayce apologized and the only thing Viktor could think was:  

No, I like touching if it’s you doing it and please please please kiss me again. Please don’t let go of me and PLEASE kiss me again.

But of course he didn’t actually say any of that and only stared at Jayce like an idiot. 

“It’s …um…it’s fine. I won’t leave without telling you again”, Viktor finally managed to mumble, still in shock from Jayce’s extreme reaction to his absence, still a little dizzy from his touch. 

“Are you okay? Why did you go home? Did something happen?” Jayce asked gently and Viktor smiled slightly. It was adorable how caring Jayce was.

“Yeah I was home…my sister disappeared and she needed me home”, Viktor said and Jayce’s eyebrows furrowed. 

“Oh, is she okay? Are you okay?” He asked with concern edged in his voice. 

“I’m fine …you look… like shit if I’m being honest”, Viktor said, trying to lighten the mood and relieve the charged atmosphere between them. Jayce chuckled and ran a hand over his rugged face, if Viktor would be honest to himself the five o’clock shadow looked almost unfairly good on Jayce. 

“You don’t think I should grow a beard then?” Jayce asked and Viktor shrugged.

“You’d look good either way”, Viktor admitted and Jayce’s grin turned into a soft smile. 

Later that night after classes Jayce and Viktor were getting ready for bed. Viktor sat on his bed and fumbled with his leg brace, trying to get the damn thing off. A screw on the side had gotten stuck and Viktor let out a groan of frustration when the thing didn’t budge. At the other side of the room Jayce sat at his desk and worked on some equations but when he heard the groan he looked over at Viktor.

“Need any help?” he asked while standing up. Asking was pure formality since he’d be helping whether Viktor liked it or not.

“No no it’s fine”, Viktor quickly reassured when he saw Jayce making his way to him.

“No, come on I’ll help”, Jayce said while kneeling in front of Viktor, his hands coming to rest on his knee. The contact sent a shiver of pleasure down Viktor’s spine and the feeling was so addicting that he couldn’t help but yearn for more of it, yearn for more of Jayce. 

“Jayce it really isn’t a big deal …” he protested weakly but Jayce continued to tinker with the straps of the brace.

A furious blush was beginning to form on Viktor’s face as he felt the rough skin of Jayce’s fingers against his bare thigh. It felt so wonderful. He never thought he’d enjoy physical touch this much but when it came to Jayce, everything just felt better. 

First there was touch, the simplest of gestures felt grand if only Jayce was the one to make them. Coffee tasted better if Jayce was the one who made it, the sun shined brighter if Jayce was next to him, solving equations was easier if Jayce simply sat nearby. He was overall much happier when he got to be with Jayce. It was a feeling he couldn’t make sense of but nevertheless he knew it was a good feeling. 

“God this really is tricky”, Jayce muttered and Viktor nodded slightly as he watched Jayce’s fingers move over the leg brace, struggling with getting it off.

“I know it’s a real pain …” Viktor said but he trailed off when he actually took in the sight of Jayce on his knees in front of him. The sight had a bigger effect on him then he’d like to admit. Before he got to reflect too much on the obscenely inappropriate picture that his mind conjured up, Jayce finally got the brace off. 

“Yes!” he exclaimed and finally took the brace off.

“We have to get you a new brace”, he commented as he put the brace down.

“We? You’re not responsible for me or my health, Jayce”, Viktor said and the statement caused Jayce’s eyebrows to furrow. Jayce cared about Viktor. In his world Viktor was truly important and he’d do anything that helped Viktor in some way. That quality was something that was very defying for Jayce as a person, he was so caring by nature. 

He’d do anything for those he loved, just like Viktor would.

Chapter Text

Jayce woke up early in the morning the next day and immediately sat up and looked over at Viktor’s bed, making sure he was still there. To his relief he saw the messy locks of Viktor’s brown hair peeking out from under the mountain of blankets. Jayce had an overwhelming urge to go lay down beside him. To feel Viktor’s soft pale skin against his own and trace the moles on his face while he was still unconscious and unaware of it. It was a strange urge and he couldn’t really explain why he was so obsessed with touching Viktor, why he was so addicted to the other man. 

The first time he had gotten that type of intrusive thought he acted on it. They were working on the water filtration system in the lab. It was late at night and Viktor was very tired, the bags under his eyes had been way more prominent than usual. Viktor had assured Jayce that he was fine but about ten minutes after that statement he fell asleep with his head resting on their notes. Viktor looked very peaceful in his sleep, there was no crease between his eyebrows, no slight frown or a look of concentration. Jayce couldn’t help but adore the sight, he wanted to see Viktor like that more often. He wanted Viktor to be like that, all peaceful and happy, because of him. He wanted to be the one to make Viktor happy, for Viktor to be that vulnerable around him even when he was awake.

As Jayce admired the sight of Viktor peacefully asleep he got that sudden impulse for the first time. The need to reach over and touch Viktor’s cheek. Just a gentle caress. He carefully scooted closer and allowed himself to stroke Viktor’s cheek with an ever so gentle hand and he marveled at how soft his skin was. Lucky for Jayce the touch didn’t wake Viktor and he could keep going with the soft caresses. 

In fascination with the feelings swirling inside of him, Jayce ran both his hands through Viktor’s  soft brown locks that almost glowed like copper in the light of the lamp on the desk.

Absolutely gorgeous.

A bright smile spread over Jayce’s face as he realized that he liked this. No, matter of fact he loved this, loved the feeling. Did that mean he loved Viktor? Jayce didn’t allow himself to think about it too much. So for a last gesture he leaned forward and planted a kiss right on the mole above Viktor’s lips. His lips were so very close to Viktor’s, so very close that it was borderline tortuous. And no matter how much he’d like to do it again and again and again he pulled back and returned to his work, now with the brand new knowledge that he was doomed. Doomed to having these impulses and not acting on them, doomed to “ liking” Viktor a little too much. 

Right now when it was early morning and Viktor was asleep he really really wanted to lie down beside him, to kiss that mole again. But he didn’t. He was content, for now, with just knowing he was there with him, that he was here in their dorm and not in Zaun. 

After a while Viktor stirred in his sleep. Jayce, who had been staring at him for what felt like an hour, glanced away now that the other man was awake. He didn’t want to be caught staring. 

“Morning”, Jayce said and Viktor let something between a grunt and a mutter in response. He was so cute when he was sleepy like this, Jayce couldn’t help but love it. “Hey um…I was wondering if you don’t have plans after classes maybe we could do something together”, Jayce said as Viktor sat up in bed.

“You mean like study?” he mumbled and Jayce chuckled.

“No I mean like…do something, together like a date”, Jayce said and Viktor froze at the word date. Date!? Jayce immediately noticed the change in his expression and realized his slip up, he shouldn’t have called it a date. “By date I mean like a friend date you know just do something together it can be anything like maybe have an ice cream or go to a bar or café or if you prefer we could just study…I just want to spend time with you I’ve missed you so much”, Jayce rambled, trying to make up for his mistake. Even if he would like for them to go on actual dates.

“Yeah…um sounds good, maybe we can do something”, Viktor said and glanced over at Jayce, a sudden feeling of nervousness overwhelming him. He had just gotten used to this new dynamic of friendship with Jayce but the implication of being just a little more sent shivers down his spine. All of these new emotions were just too much and as much as he’d like to deny it he liked it. He loved the emotions that washed over him every time Jayce was around. 

“Great, then we can do something after classes”, Jayce confirmed and Viktor gave him a soft smile. 

Later after classes Jayce was waiting in their dorm, trying to kill some time as Viktor finished his last class. Everything about this “date” had to be perfect so he was weirdly nervous. It was odd because Jayce had been on dates before, a lot of them, and he never felt unsure of himself like did right now. He had never felt this nervous about anything before. He couldn’t even think straight and of course when he needed to have a clear head and use his charisma he couldn’t. Viktor was like kryptonite for Jayce’s confidence and charm. 

And on top of that this was so out of the ordinary, you could barely call this a date. Everything was so uncertain, so many words left unsaid. They were stuck in a gray zone and Jayce just wanted to take the step out into something more than what they were now. Maybe just a small kiss or a sentence could free him from the torture of being in this limbo between friends and something more. But a small kiss and a sentence could also ruin everything he built with Viktor. He couldn’t lose him just because of his own selfish desire, he couldn’t lose

him. Even if it meant staying just friends he’d be fine because at least he was still with Viktor in some way…even if Viktor wouldn’t be his. He told himself that he was mature enough to stay rational and keep being friends like they were now but a part of him still knew that he would always yearn for more. Yearn for Viktor to not only be in his life but to be HIS. 

As he waited for Viktor to return to their dorm Jayce was putting a tremendous amount of effort into looking his best. He was fixing his hair, putting every single strand of hair in the exactly right place, when Viktor finally entered the dorm. Jayce turned around at the sound of the door opening and smiled broadly at the sight of the other man.

“Hey…” he said as he walked up to Viktor, giving him a quick friendly hug that lasted for just a little longer than normal.

“So …what are the plans for today?” Viktor asked while pulling back.

“I don’t know…I didn’t really plan anything”, Jayce said and he suddenly felt quite foolish for not planning ahead. Even though he had fantasized about going on “dates” (he felt so ridiculous and pathetic to still hope this was a date) with Viktor he never really thought to make his plans into reality.

“Well I know a good place in Zaun…maybe we could go there and have a drink”, Viktor suggested and Jayce nodded eagerly. Anything Viktor wanted to do was fine with Jayce.

Later Jayce and Viktor stood outside a bar, loud voices echoing from inside and if Jayce would be frank it was quite shabby. The sign in the front read “The last drop”. Jayce couldn’t believe that this was a “good place” according to Viktor. From what Jayce had noticed so far Viktor was a raging introvert and spent most of his time either in their dorm or in the library, avoiding socializing at every cost. So why this place? It spoke against what Jayce thought of Viktor’s nature. A horrific thought suddenly struck him: Did he not know Viktor like he thought he did? He had spent a lot of time trying to get to know the other man and to notice every possible detail he could and it would crush him if his efforts had been for nothing, that he didn’t even really know Viktor. Everything from what books he enjoyed to what time he usually went to sleep. He noticed it all. Had he missed the part where Viktor usually hung out at bar’s in the undercity? Now he didn’t want to think of his feelings towards Viktor as obsessive or stalkerish but…they definitely were. 

“So…um why this place?” Jayce finally decided to ask and a fond smile crept up on Viktor’s lips.

“Well I kinda have some history here…and my dad owns it”, Viktor said and shrugged and that new piece of information made Jayce halt.

“He owns it?” He asked shocked and Viktor nodded slightly. Other people might have liked to brag or show off by telling Jayce that his dad owned practically everything around here but

he wasn’t about to do that. Instead he walked over to the door and opened it, signaling for Jayce to follow him.

As they entered the bar a few heads turned to see who had entered. To Jayce’s surprise most of them quickly averted their gaze when they saw Viktor. Jayce wanted to ask about it but thought it’d be impolite to comment on the matter. Viktor limped over to the bar and as the bartender caught sight of Viktor he grinned. 

“Well well look who finally decided to come back”, he said and Viktor smiled slightly in response. The man looked Viktor up and down with a slightly…softer smile. The exchange caused Jayce to frown subconsciously. Jayce couldn’t help but notice that the bartender was quite handsome. Short dirty blonde hair, broad shoulders and sharp blue eyes. Even though Jayce knew it shouldn’t bother him that this man, who apparently seemed to know Viktor, was attractive he still couldn’t help but feel an ugly feeling bloom in his chest. It was unfamiliar and uncomfortable, Jayce hadn’t experienced it before and he certainly didn’t like it. Jealousy, what a bitter feeling.

“Yeah well what can I say I know where home is”, Viktor said and Jayce couldn’t really make sense of the tone Viktor used, the sentence sounded so cryptic.

“You have any of the good stuff you could hook me up with?” The bartender asked in a hushed voice and Viktor glanced up at Jayce before shooting the bartender a glare that clearly said, don’t talk about it. 

“That’s dad’s business not mine”, Viktor said and if the glare didn’t get the message across to drop the subject the blunt and cold tone Viktor used did it.

“Okay well…um I’ll get you and your…guest some drinks”, the bartender muttered and glanced at Jayce before getting to work on making their drinks. As soon as the bartender was out of earshot Jayce spoke.

“Do you know him well?” he asked and Viktor’s eyebrows furrowed as he picked up on the clearly irritated tone Jayce had.

“Not really I mean everyone kinda knows everyone around here …” he said slowly and Jayce relaxed a little at how casual Viktor sounded. Maybe he didn’t know the bartender like Jayce thought. Maybe Jayce was just insecure and worrying about absolutely nothing. 

“So…you said you had history here”, Jayce said and Viktor nodded.

“Yeah”, Viktor said and just when he was about to tell Jayce more about it the drinks arrived. They both took a sip and even though Jayce thought it was way too strong he didn’t comment on it since he didn’t want Viktor to think he was a coward. Nonetheless this would be a huge problem. Jayce did not handle alcohol well at all, he was incredibly lightweight which was

weird since his big stature should mean that he was resistant to alcohol. He didn’t usually drink because every time he did he’d get absolutely wasted. He really hoped he could keep his composure and not say something or do something to embarrass himself in front of Viktor despite the alcohol he was about to consume. 

“So tell me more about the history”, Jayce said and watched Viktor take a big sip from his drink. Oh so Viktor could handle his liquor better than him…great.

“Well this used to be my dad’s best friend’s bar, they were basically brothers so I spent a lot of time here as a kid. But later they kinda had a fallout and…actually it’s a terribly sad story”, Viktor said and Jayce raised his eyebrows. He wanted to ask more but something in Viktor’s voice sounded so…nostalgic, so devastated that Jayce ultimately decided not to push the subject further.

“You don’t have to talk about it…let me ask something else instead. What’s your favorite memory from your childhood?” Jayce said and Viktor’s features softened at the question. Soft amber eyes met Jayce’s hazel one’s and that simple exchange of human contact caused Jayce's heart to race. In combination with the sudden intimate tension and the alcohol he was consuming his face must look like a tomato by now.

“Well actually I have quite a few. One of the one’s I vividly remember is when I had just gotten taken in by my dad and he really wanted me to feel comfortable and safe with him so he bought me a set of books on engineering. I didn’t sleep for three days and just sat up all night reading those. I used some stuff I read and built that toy boat I told you about”, he said and Jayce smiled softly. God Viktor must’ve been adorable as a kid…he was adorable now too. A voice in his head screamed at him to tell Viktor that, but the part of his brain that still thought rationally knew it was just the alcohol taking its toll on his consequent thinking. 

“Oh so you were a bookworm ever since childhood”, Jayce teased and Viktor chuckled in response. What a lovely, lovely sound. He could listen to that sound on repeat for hours and still not get tired of it. 

“Yeah I was. How about you? Any nice memories?” Viktor asked as the bartender poured them more drinks. Jayce thought for a moment as he watched Viktor take a big gulp from his drink. Jayce mirrored whatever Viktor did and decided that he would be fine and drank too. He could already feel the alcohol getting to him but he pushed through and ignored it.

“Mhm. I mostly grew up with my mom so a lot of my good memories are with her. One time I was working on something in my room and when I finally got it to work I got so excited I ran down the stairs and slipped and hit my head. That’s how I got this scar”, he said and pointed to the faded scar on his eyebrow.

“Falling and hitting your head? That’s a good memory?” Viktor questioned and Jayce chuckled.

“No, I mean it’s just what my mom did after that. First she was worried sick and thought I’d go into a coma or something so she rushed me to the hospital but it turned out everything was fine. When we got home she made me a big cup of warm milk and honey and she read me to sleep, even though I could read by myself at that time”, Jayce said and now it was Viktor’s turn to smile.

“Well that memory sounds nicer than the whole slip trip and fall thing”, Viktor said and Jayce nodded.

“Mhm…it was nice.”

They had another drink and as Viktor talked with the bartender Jayce finally studied his surroundings closer. A record player stood by the door and it was playing, a few people were up on the floor dancing and Jayce’s alcohol-addled mind decided that it was a great idea to dance too. He got up and after everything stopped spinning he took a few more steps up onto the floor and started swaying back and forth in sync with the music. 

“Um what are you doing?” a voice behind him questioned and Jayce turned around to look at Viktor, who was observing the scene with an amused smile playing on his lips. 

“What does it look like I’m doing? Dancing of course”, he said over the music and Viktor laughed. “Come on, join me!” Jayce exclaimed and Viktor’s smile faded.

“I can’t”, he said and motioned down to his leg. Jayce stopped his movements and took a few steps to close the distance between him and the shorter man.

“You can…come on I’ll help you”, Jayce said and grabbed Viktor’s hands. With a gentle hand he grabbed Viktor by the waist and pulled him close, only allowing himself to marvel at how perfect he fit against him for a moment before walking them both to the dancefloor. Viktor tried to protest but quickly folded for Jayce’s determination and allowed himself to be guided by the other man, enjoying the warmth that seemed to radiate off Jayce. 

I’ll be watching you

oh, can’t you see

You belong to me?

How my poor heart aches 

With every step you take

The music that blasted through the bar was loud but the only sound Jayce could pick up on was Viktor’s soft breathing and the gentle pounding of his heart. Was he imagining it or were their hearts beating at the same pace? Were both their hearts beating just as fast? He closed

his eyes for a moment and leaned his head closer to Viktor’s. Inhaling deeply, he savored the smell of Viktor’s hair. To be this close all the time . Jayce was aware of the fact that he was quite tipsy, his brain was fuzzy and the only thing that existed right now was him and the man in his arms. Everything else was insignificant. The moment felt surreal and when he opened his eyes again, he caught sight of Viktor’s eyes and they weren’t just a color anymore. They were pools of gold worth more than anything Jayce would ever possess. They were full of light and life despite the dark eyebags beneath them. Full of whatever magical thing Viktor had that just made him so beautiful. 

Since you’ve been gone, I’ve been lost 

without a trace

I dream at night, I can only see 

your face

I look around and it’s you 

I can’t replace

I feel so cold and I long for 

your embrace.

Jayce felt like he was trapped in a dream. It was all too perfect to be real. Jayce subconsciously tightened his grip on Viktor’s hands and leaned even closer. They were so close now that he would have been able count every single one of Viktor’s eyelashes. Viktor tried remaining eye contact for as long as possible but eventually crumbled under Jayce’s intense gaze. When Viktor looked away Jayce brought a gentle hand up to his face, cupping his chin to force him to meet his eyes again.

Oh can’t you see

you belong to me?

“Don’t look away…please don’t look away…I can’t bear it”, he whispered and pleaded with his eyes. Practically begging Viktor to look at him. Viktor met his eyes again and this time he remained eye contact, even though he could feel his face flushing. The sight of Viktor’s pale cheeks tinted with a soft blush made Jayce smile. 

“You’re so beautiful, Viktor…” he murmured and Viktor’s breath hitched at the sudden confession. He wasn’t beautiful. He’d never once in his life thought of himself as anything even remotely close to beautiful. To hear Jayce say it? God he was drowning right now.

“I’m hardly beautiful, Jayce”, Viktor muttered and the statement caused Jayce to frown.

“You’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen”, Jayce whispered and he sounded so sincere. So very sure that what he was telling Viktor was facts, like anything that disagreed with the statement was unthinkable. 

“I am?” Viktor asked quietly, almost in disbelief. He desperately wanted the answer for that question to be yes. More than anything right now he wanted to be beautiful in Jayce’s eyes, nothing else seemed to matter. Viktor had never been one to chase such a superficial thing as being perceived as physically beautiful, but right now he would’ve given anything just to be beautiful. 

“You are”, Jayce confirmed and leaned his head on Viktor’s. 

Intimacy. Intimacy like this was the most wonderful thing Viktor had experienced. Just swaying back and forth to the music with the man he loved in his arms. The alcohol made him just brave enough to put one of his free hands on Jayce’s bicep, giving the firm muscle a light squeeze. 

“Can I kiss you?” Jayce whispered and the question made Viktor freeze. Of course he wanted Jayce to kiss him. If he could have it his way he wouldn’t be doing anything else ever again, just living life with the only purpose being to press his lips against Jayce’s and feel him kiss back. 

But something was wrong. This was all wrong. The alcohol on Jayce’s breath suddenly smelled way too strong, his hand on Viktor’s waist was gripping way too tight and the song had ended and been replaced by an upbeat tune. The warmth of Jayce’s body suddenly felt more pressing than pleasant and Viktor could feel the sweat of his back clinging to his shirt.

No. Not here. This was all wrong. Not while so much was unresolved. Not when Jayce was out of it. 

“No”, Viktor finally answered and Jayce’s shoulders slumped at the rejection. Before he could start begging Viktor for just one simple kiss Viktor spoke again.

“I think we should probably head back.” 

Even though they were all the way down in Zaun, Viktor somehow managed to get them back to their dorm. As they entered Jayce sighed and pulled his shirt off with sluggish movements, the effects of the alcohol still surging through his body. Viktor closed the door and watched Jayce strip down to only boxers. Even though Viktor knows he should be used to the sight of Jayce half naked the scene still caused his heart to rate and cheeks to flush. Jayce collapsed into bed and groaned into the pillows.

“Um…are you okay?” Viktor asked carefully and Jayce turned his head to look up at Viktor again. His hazy drunken gaze took in the sight of Viktor before him, awkward and unsure of himself like always. 

“Lie with me”, Jayce murmured, ignoring Viktor’s question. His heart practically stopped beating as he heard the request. Lie with me? The statement was so intimate. For it was a statement, it was a command and not a question, it was a plea for that intimacy that Viktor was so unused to. That he wasn’t ready to give Jayce. Lie with me.

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea. You’re not in your right mind”, he muttered and Jayce sat up in bed. 

Viktor tried not to but his eyes wandered down Jayce’s body anyways and it was much more beautiful than Viktor’s was. It was the embodiment of male beauty. Broad shoulders and firm muscles and tan skin and he couldn’t help but compare it to his own. Viktor had always had a complicated relationship to his own body because he was always limited by it, limited by his leg and the fact that no matter what he did he would always be sick in some way. He didn’t like how his ribs stood out too much nor the fact that his skin was stained with moles nor the sharp edge of his bony fingers. Where Viktor saw flaws in himself he saw beauty in Jayce. 

He felt pathetic for desiring Jayce’s body. He felt pathetic for wanting to be intimate with someone who clearly was more beautiful than him. To desire something that clearly was not for him. Jayce was meant to be intimate with beautiful people. 

But Jayce thinks you’re beautiful. A weak voice reminded him.

“I know I’m not in my right mind but I want it even when I’m sober. I’ve just gotten the courage to finally ask”, Jayce murmured and Viktor closed his eyes for a moment. 

Maybe he could allow himself this.

With trembling hands he took his shoes off and tugged his shirt over his head. 

Jayce inhaled sharply at the sight of Viktor’s bare torso. So many moles, spread out like constellations on the pale skin. He would kiss every single one of them if he was given the chance. Of course Viktor noticed Jayce’s wandering gaze and on instinct he crossed his arms over his chest, not liking how vulnerable this situation made him feel.

“No, don't do that…” Jayce whispered and reached out to gently pull Viktor’s arms away from his chest, tugging him closer to stand directly in front of him. Viktor closed his eyes as Jayce inspected him, he couldn’t look, he was too scared. With a mellow hand Jayce traced the curve of Viktor’s waist. “So so beautiful”, he whispered and when Viktor finally opened his eyes and looked down at Jayce he was shocked by the sight of Jayce at the brink of tears.

“Jayce? What’s wrong?” Viktor asked urgently and the first thing that crossed his mind was the horrific thought that he had done something wrong, he had ruined the moment.

“No nothing’s…n-nothing’s wrong I just…you have to believe me when I say that you are perfect. I need you to know that everything about you is beautiful to me…I need you to know”, Jayce whispered with a desperate voice and Viktor gasped quietly as he suddenly felt Jayce’s lips on his skin. The target of Jayce’s affectionate gesture was the mole right above Viktor’s navel.

“Do that again”, Viktor whispered before he could stop himself and Jayce immediately obeyed, pressing a soft kiss to another mole on one of Viktor’s ribs. Viktor held his breath as Jayce continued to press kisses all over his torso, the gestures getting more sloppy and desperate as time went on. Jayce could feel how tense Viktor was and brought a hand to his waist, giving it a light comforting squeeze in an attempt to make him relax. To savor the feeling Viktor closed his eyes and ran his fingers through Jayce’s hair, the action earning him a soft groan from the other man.

“Beautiful”, Jayce whispered breathlessly between kisses. 

This was getting out of hand. Jayce was obviously eager to take the next step. To remove more clothes and share this night together. 

“Stop…um…I want to…I really want to, Jayce but you won’t even remember it in the morning”, Viktor whispered and pushed Jayce’s head away from him, interrupting the intimate moment.

“Please?”

“No.”

With a sigh Jayce let go of Viktor and pulled back, heart stinging with rejection. 

“Can you atleast lie with me?” Jayce begged and Viktor couldn’t bring himself to deny it, not when they both needed it so desperately. So with careful movements he laid down next to Jayce and settled in his arms. The delicious skin to skin contact of Viktor’s bare torso in Jayce’s warm embrace felt more like home than Zaun ever had. No place could possibly make him feel what he felt now, no person except for Jayce was for him. Within moments Jayce was half asleep and before he drifted off entirely he whispered one last thing in Viktor’s ear, because despite the sleepiness and alcohol pesting his mind he still needed Viktor to understand this.

“You are perfect.”

That confession filled Viktor with an overwhelming sense of love and contentment. This was the most wonderful moment Viktor had ever experienced, it was perfect in every sense of the word. He couldn’t recall being this happy before. He sighed softly and glanced back at the now dead asleep Jayce and on impulse he pressed a light kiss to his cheek before turning back

to fall asleep too. His eyes became droopy and just as he was about to close his eyes and succumb to sleep something caught his attention.

Tik tik tik tik tik tik

His eyes shot open at the noise. He knew it all too well. 

His eyes searched the room for the source of the sound while the ticking intensified. 

On the windowsill sat the same gadget that Jinx had shown him. The one resembling an angry green owl.

Oh no.

A few days earlier.

Ekko had been waiting patiently all day for the group to return. Powder had left early in the morning and he had promised her to meet again. The whole thing felt like a dream, the fact that Powder was back was almost too good to be true. Nonetheless it was real and Powder was real and alive and that was something he was eternally grateful for. 

Everything was perfect. Everything could’ve been perfect.

It was almost noon when the other firelights came back home. They were pretty beat up and as soon as Ekko was informed of their arrival he hurried over to tend to their injuries. 

“What happened back there? Did you guys manage to destroy the shipment? any information?” Ekko asked as he wrapped a bandage around one of his teammate’s, Igor, knee. Igor sighed loudly and winced at the sting in his leg before he spoke.

“We didn’t manage to…and where did you go? You were supposed to take a sample from the new product so we could figure out what changes they made”, Igor said with a scowl. Ekko could feel a sense of guilt as he was reminded that he, the one who was supposed to lead them, just ran away. Not because of fear or anything but he was just so caught up in the fact that Powder was there that he totally forgot about his responsibilities. He looked down and tried to come up with some sort of reasonable explanation for his diaperance.

“Well I just-” before he could finish his sentence and explain himself Igor spoke again. 

“Oh right…we did get some new information. Look there was the usual chick you know, the right hand man to Silco. The woman with the robotic arm”, he said and Ekko nodded. Oh he knew about Silco’s team alright, he hated them all. 

“Okay so she was there but she had a girl with her this time. Real fucking psycho, her skills were insane for some so young I’ve never seen that type of agility before. She shot at me without hesitation, aiming to kill.” Igor said and Ekko’s brows furrowed. If Silco had a skilled lackey that killed without hesitation that could be a problem.

“Okay…what’d she look like?” Ekko asked and Igor thought for a moment.

“Short...she looked to be about your age. She had really pale skin, big blue eyes…mh what else…she had like two long braids and her hair was blue.” When Igor gave that description Ekko could feel his heart stop in his chest. 

No…it couldn’t be. 

This explained why she was there in the first place. It explained where she’d been all these years, it explained why she didn’t stay for longer. But how did she even come in contact with Silco in the first place? Had he kidnapped her? He had so many questions. How couldn’t he have seen it earlier? Well the thought did cross his mind…he just didn’t want to believe it. He wanted things to be like they used to be. All that seemed to matter yesterday was the joy of having Powder back with him. All that mattered was that there had been a small little chance that maybe it could be them again. Quiet moments in the basement of the last drop while Benzo and Vander were upstairs, adventures while roaming around in the lanes with the knowledge that no matter how far away from home they went they would always find their way back. They’d always have each other if things got scary. She would always be there to hold his hand, because she knew he needed that comfort sometimes. No matter how tough he acted she would always know his weaknesses, she would always be one of them. As the realization really sunk in he felt his heart clench in his chest, no not Powder…not his Powder. 

“God..um…did you catch her name?” Ekko mumbled, clinging to the last hope that maybe they were mistaken. Maybe there was another girl with blue hair and blue eyes that wasn’t Powder. But he knew deep down that he was reaching for false hope.

“I heard the woman call her Jinx.”

Chapter Text

Jinx could barely contain her excitement as she was making her way to the old arcade. Her steps were filled with energy and she felt on top of the world. Despite the fact that Viktor had returned to school the previous day she still felt happy, she wasn’t worried about being alone anymore because she had Ekko now.

She wasn’t all alone. She had Viktor and Silco and on top of that she had Ekko again. Everything would be alright. No one was leaving her. Not again.

 The sky was getting darker but the gloomy atmosphere didn’t affect her mood in the slightest, the thought of Ekko overpowering everything else. No voices, no taunting images, she was at peace. 

From the outside the arcade looked entirely abandoned. Some of the windows were smashed in and the paint on the walls were almost entirely flaked off from all the years without maintenance. It had taken an eternity to convince Vi and the others that she was mature enough to go here with them and when they finally agreed to take her, she was over the moon. Memories of the past haunted the place but it still gave her a sense of safety, a type of nostalgia. It was familiar and she knew every nook and cranny, every creaking floorboard and every hideout.

It was also a place of her own, a place Silco didn’t know about. The reason she hadn’t told him was that a part of her knew Silco wouldn’t understand her sentimentality towards the old rundown building. He would only have viewed it as a weakness and forbidden her to go there again. 

“Let go of the past Jinx. Let go of Powder. She makes you weak, she makes us weak.” That’s what he usually told her. To let go. Bury the past and focus on the future, focus on their goals.

He would probably be livid if he found out she was spending time with someone that was a part of her past, someone that still knew her as Powder. However despite knowing that she was still disobeying him, she just could not bring herself to care. 

When she stepped inside the arcade it was dark and quiet which told her that Ekko had yet to arrive. He’d probably be here any minute so while she waited, she checked her reflection in the cracked glass of the widows. It was a vain thing to do and way out of character for her but she couldn’t resist the urge to make sure she looked her best. Silco had done her hair that morning and his hairstyling skills had improved significantly since that responsibility had fallen upon him. She actually really liked how she looked.

After tucking the strands of hair that had slipped out of the braid behind her ears she glanced down at her chipped fingernails and flaking nail polish, she had to stop biting her nails.

Viktor was the one who bought her the blue nail polish, he said it would go great with her eyes, but the pink polish she bought herself.

Why is he taking so long? Maybe he doesn’t want to see you again.

No stop that. He’ll show up he promised you.

To distract herself from the voices and the gnawing worry that he wouldn’t show up she started inspecting one of the explosives she carried with her. She only brought one this time mostly because she likely wouldn’t have any use for it. But despite that you could never be too careful so she always brought at least one. The one she chose for today was her newest invention. The smaller device resembles an owl with streaks of bright green covering the smooth metal. It had a much longer countdown than her usual inventions so it was more useful in traps. You activate it by twisting the head, and just like a real owl it could twist the head all the way around. When it was whined up all you had to do was wait for it to tik tik back to its start position before it blew up. With gentle fingers she traced the colors and sat down on the floor. 

The place was so quiet. She could still recall the times she spent here with Vi, the sound of laughter still taunted her and echoed through her head like a broken record.

“I told you I could do it!”

“Never doubted you for a second, Pow pow!”

The first time she shot a gun was here. From an early age she knew what a gun was and what it did. She knew having a gun was a sort of power. Ever since she learned what it was she wanted to master it, wield it to her will. But she never thought guns and weapons would make up such a big part of her. Originally her plan had been to fight like Vander and Vi, but turns out she wasn’t a fighter. So Violet took the time to teach her how to use a gun in secret even though Vander had advised her to wait a few more years. 

She could also recall all the times she spent here with Ekko, but those memories didn’t feel haunting in the same ways that the ones with Vi did. The memories of Ekko actually brought a small smile to her face as she closed her eyes and remembered all the laughs and adventures they shared together. She wanted them to have that again. 

After a few more minutes of waiting she finally heard the sound of old wood creaking under light footsteps. As soon as she heard the sound she shot up from her sitting position and hurried over to look at the entrance. In the doorway stood Ekko and the sight of him made her grin.

See…I told you he’d show up, he won’t leave you.

Without any sort of hesitation she sprinted over to him and threw herself in his arms. At the sudden impact he stumbled slightly but instinctively wrapped his arms around her waist to keep them from falling over. She buried her face in his neck and nuzzled the skin there, enjoying the safety of being so close to him. After standing there for a second he gently put his hands on her shoulders and pushed her off of him. That earned him a frown from her and she searched his face for some type of emotion that could tell her why he pulled away so quickly. The only thing she could read from his expressions was that he looked tired. Dark circles had formed under his chocolate colored eyes and the crease between his eyebrows was a telltale that he wasn’t as happy as she was at this moment.

“What’s wrong? Are you okay?” She asked in a soft voice and the sound was like music to his ears. No no no he had to stay focused, he had to talk to her.

“I’m fine…I-I’m happy to see you again”, he finally managed to say and that made her grin again. It had only taken one meeting with Ekko and she suddenly found herself thinking of him all the time. Sure he did cross her mind a lot over the years since the day they got separated but now that they had met again she found herself longing for him in an entirely different way. When she closed her eyes, as she sometimes did, to just succumb to the voices they didn’t remind her of past mistakes. Instead of cynical mind games and cursed memories her mind was filled with…joy. A type of excitement and thrill that came from thinking of Ekko. 

“Me too…I missed you a lot”, she said and his facial expressions softened for a moment, the troubled look momentarily gone. He had missed her too…he had missed her so so much.

She hugged him again and this time he allowed himself to fully hug back. Maybe that made him weak and maybe it made him a hypocrite but he really couldn’t bring himself to care. He knows he should talk to her, he knows that he can’t just pretend that he doesn’t know what he knows. All the things the other firelights told him about the mysterious crazy blue haired Jinx shook him to his core. Was that really his Powder? The girl he was hugging sure felt like Powder. This just has to be his Powder.

With a gentle hand he cupped the back of her neck and pulled her even closer. He felt bad for not telling the other firelights about his encounter with Jinx, but he couldn’t tell them he did something so foolish as show her their base. Before he did anything else he had to get some answers, to have her explain why on earth she was associated with someone as cruel and horrible as Silco.

“So…you didn’t really tell me where you’ve been all these years”, Ekko finally asks, breaking the comfortable silence. Powder…Jinx? No Powder pulled back from his embrace and frowned slightly.

“Does it matter?” she mumbled and he sighed. Was she really trying to avoid this? Was she really lying to him?

There was a long silence before Ekko finally spoke again.

“I know about it all…Jinx”, he said and tried his best to keep his voice steady. Her blue eyes widened as he called her by that name, it didn’t belong with him. The name Jinx wasn’t something he should be referring to her as. 

“Know what?” She muttered and took a small step back, avoiding his gaze.

“You know what. I know where you’ve been…I know about everything”, he said and tried to make eye contact again but she was just staring down at her boots. 

“I was thinking that we could play a game you know like old times”, she said and he frowned as she ignored his statement. 

“Powder we have to-“ she interrupted him before he had the chance to finish.

“No we don’t. Now let’s play a game”, she said and looked up at him again, forcing a smile. Before he could protest she took his hand and started tugging him with her, leading him towards one of the old arcade games. He instinctively pulled his hand away from her grasp and she froze. 

Now there was just silence. 

“Powder I need…I need to know what you’re doing with him, okay? Why would you associate with someone so horrible and cruel? He’s a monster”, he said and she scoffed loudly, any trace of joy completely disappearing from her face. A look of anger started creeping up on her features instead.

“He’s not a monster! You know nothing”, she hissed and the sudden mood switch caused his brows to furrow. Her eyes were fixated on him again but he couldn’t see her anymore. Powder never got this angry. Powder usually turned quiet if she felt overwhelmed or sad or if something was bothering her but the girl in front of him acted nothing like Powder. 

“You’re defending him? Do…do you know what he’d done? What he does? He’s a dictator who uses the zaunites for his gain!” He didn’t mean to sound so angry but he couldn’t help himself when he heard Powder defend Silco like that. Like the horrible man actually meant something to her.

“You know nothing, Ekko! He raised me”, she said and Ekko scoffed. For a moment her instincts screamed at her to hurt Ekko. The voices in her head told her to get rid of him

because he threatened her family. No matter how much Ekko meant to her he was still a thing from the past and her real family would always be Viktor and Silco.

“Raised you? Vander raised you!” Ekko said and now he was more than angry. He was frustrated and confused and desperate for his Powder, he didn’t even recognize this girl as Powder anymore.

“Both Vander and Vi left me!” She yelled and he took a deep breath to try and calm himself but it wasn’t working. The frustration and anger bubbled up inside him and he couldn’t push it down anymore.

“Are you crazy?! You can’t turn your back on Vander and Vi and me just to be Silco’s little soldier! My people told me what you do now and I don’t recognize you anymore! The Powder I know would never do something that horrible!” he screamed and just as the words left his mouth he knew he had made a terrible mistake. The look on Powder’s face told him that much. The look on her face broke his heart. The anger completely drained from her face and now she just looked sad, sad and broken. Her wide blue eyes were overflowing with tears as she took a few steps back from him and a muffled sob escaped her mouth even though she was biting her lip to keep from crying. 

He’s right. You’re not Powder, you are a worthless Jinx and he’s right to call you crazy.

See…everyone leaves you eventually and it’s always your fault, right?

Pathetic worthless Jinx…

“No…no shut up please…please stop”, she mumbled and let out another broken sob. 

A sort of darkness swept over Jinx at that moment. A looming figure wrapt her up in its mist and suddenly she was lost again. All the safety from the old memories that surrounded her just moments prior morphed into something ugly and wicked. Mylo’s face jumped out of the darkness and the sudden appearance caused her to jump back, avoiding his almost ashy gray dead fingers that tried to grab her. Hissing voices invaded her ears and infected her mind with a poison she knew all too well.

“She Jinxes every job!”

“I told you to stay away!”

“Because you’re a Jinx!”

She let out a scream of horror as a hand grabbed her shoulder from behind, but the fingers were not cold. They were warm and comforting and they didn’t belong to a ghost, they weren't dead nor violent. The grip was firm but not in a way that was intended to hurt her. 

“Powder…Powder please look at me”, a soft voice broke through the fog and the word Powder caught her attention. 

She wasn’t Powder. She was Jinx.

“Shut up, Ekko! Shut up, I am not Powder!” She screamed and the cry was so loud and powerful that Ekko actually flinched away. The moment he let go of her and pulled back she started running. She couldn’t stay here anymore. 

The arcade that was so safe just a moment ago morphed into a nightmare, a tool to taunt and hurt her. Vi stood by the old boxing machine and practiced her punches on the plate that now had a picture of her on it. She was out to hurt her, right? Just like Mylo who stood by the shooting range and aimed his gun at a doll with long blue braids and blue buttons for eyes, just like Claggor who stood by him and cheered on. They were all out to hurt her. 

They all wanted to kill Jinx.  

She couldn't stay here and let them get her. Without anything else in mind than the haunting image of them all hurting her she fled out of the old arcade. She paid no attention to the sound of Ekko calling after her. He was one of them…right? He was out to hurt her too. How could she have been so foolish as to think that he wanted her as she was? He wanted Powder not Jinx.

And Powder is dead. 

The only thing that fueled her to continue running was the thought of Viktor. She needed Viktor right now. She needed him to wrap her up in his arms and tell her she would be alright. To have him kiss her forehead and braid her hair and to call her “Blue”. The thought of being by Viktor’s side again made running easy. Even though her lungs were burning and she was out of breath she was still running. Even though her vision was getting blurry from the mental and physical exhaustion she just kept on running. 

She just needed her brother.

When Jinx first moved in with Silco and Viktor she was very isolated from them. Every waking minute of every day she was haunted by guilt and memories and she hadn’t said a word since Silco took her home. Silco was fine with how closed off she was in the beginning. He didn’t know how to handle this situation anyway so he figured he should just wait it out and after she had adapted to her new life he could start teaching and training her. When he was raising Viktor he barely had to do anything besides give him books and spare parts to tinker with. Viktor was self-sufficient and practically a grown up by the age of ten so he figured Jinx would be the same. 

Viktor on the other hand saw how much pain Jinx was in. He was hurting too after all. When he heard about Vander and everything that happened he cried. Not in front of Silco of course but the moment he closed the door to his room behind him after hearing the news he broke down. 

Vander had been a big part of his childhood. Before the betrayal he spent a lot of time at the last drop, listening to Vander tell him stories of the mischief he and Silco used to get up to as kids. It was a happy time in his life. Vander had always been so kind and no matter what he always felt safe with him. However after the betrayal Silco had told him about the horrible thing Vander did and that he couldn’t go to the last drop ever again. After the betrayal the old Silco died and Viktor’s childhood died with him, everything changed. He wasn’t allowed to speak to Vander ever again because he was dangerous. 

Despite knowing that, Viktor still mourned when he found out Vander passed. In the same way he mourned the old Silco, in the same way he mourned when the sparkle in Silco’s eyes went out and was replaced by that ugly red thing. 

And he was baffled when Silco brought Powder home. He remembered meeting both Powder and Vi when Felicia would take them to the last drop when they were younger. He remembered how close Felicia, Vander and Silco were before she passed and everything between the two men went to shit. Anyway it was a surprise to meet Powder again after all these years or, as he was supposed to call her now, Jinx.

About three days after Jinx had first arrived she still hadn’t spoken a word and it was starting to worry Viktor. He was sitting in his room reading a book when he heard muffled cries from her room, again. In this short period of time he had grown accustomed to the noise but still, the broken sobs caught his attention and tugged at his heartstrings. How could Silco not see that she was hurting so much? With a sigh he put the book down and walked out of his room to head down the hall to Silco’s office. 

Without bothering to knock he opened the door and as predicted Silco sat at his desk with some papers spread out in front of him, completely indifferent to the sobs from the other room.

“Can you not hear she’s crying or do you just not care?” Viktor asked in a disapproving voice but Silco merely glanced up at him before answering in a cold tone.

“She’ll be fine”, he muttered and Viktor scoffed.

“She needs comfort right now. She just lost her whole family and she’s what, ten years old? She’s way too young to go through that but here we are so the least we can do is comfort her”, Viktor said and Silco grumbled something to himself before putting his papers down.

“She just… she looks so much like Felicia…I didn’t think it would be hard to see her face again but…” Silco trailed off before he could finish his sentence, leaving the room quite aside from the soft cries of the broken girl echoing through the halls. 

Silco wasn’t meeting his eyes anymore and Viktor watched him run a hand over his neatly styled hair. The moment of vulnerability Silco showed Viktor surprised him. He knew how much Felicia meant to Silco and he could remember how crushed he was when she died but he still hadn’t considered the fact that Silco was still mourning her. 

“I understand that, but you still need to help her. You owe her that”, Viktor said and he wasn’t sure if he meant Jinx or Felicia. Maybe both. 

Silco didn’t answer to that so Viktor decided to leave him alone again and go up to Jinx’s room himself. Just like his father Viktor wasn’t exactly the most emotional person but he still hoped he could offer some sort of comfort to her. Even though emotions weren't his strong side, it was better than the girl crying her eyes out all by herself.

He stopped outside her room and hesitated before he knocked on the wooden door. The crying from inside didn’t stop and Viktor contemplated whether or not to leave her be or enter without permission. After some consideration he ultimately decided to open the door.

When the door creaked open he immediately caught sight of Jinx sitting curled up on her bed, face buried in her hands as she sobbed uncontrollably. Viktor quietly walked over to the bed and crouched down next to it.

“Hey…”, he mumbled gently and without answering she lifted her head and wiped her bloodshot eyes, staring up at him while sobbing softly.

Viktor wasn’t really sure what the next step should be, he should’ve planned this better. Maybe a hug? He wasn’t great with physical affection and he often chose to avoid it but something about the look in the little girl’s face told him that he just had to suck it up. He opened his arms for her and Jinx hesitated for just a second before crawling into his arms. Despite the new environment and the fact that she didn’t even know Viktor, something inside of her told her she could trust him. She clung to him tightly and he hugged back, stroking her tangled hair with a gentle hand. The movement seemed to calm her down and the once violent uncontrollable sobs turned into small, barely noticeable sniffles. 

“You can always come to me when you feel like this. I know you don’t know me very well and you have no real reason to trust me but you shouldn’t have to cry all alone like that so every time you feel like this you come to me, okay? I’ll always be there and you can always

come to me no matter what”, he mumbled and she pulled back slightly to look at him with wide eyes. The comforting words served to ease the emotions raging through her heart and for just a second the voices were quiet, her attention fully focused on the boy in front of her. 

“You will?” she whispered with a hoarse voice and he nodded, continuing the comforting gesture of stroking her blue hair.

“I will…” he muttered before he glanced at her disheveled hair. An idea popped up in his head as he saw the tangled mess. “Would you like for me to do your hair?” he said and she brightened up slightly at the offer, eyes wide with surprise and curiosity. 

“You can do my hair?” she asked and he chuckled.

“Of course I can…all I need is for you to sit still for a moment and I can make it all better”, he said and grabbed the brush from her nightstand. She turned her head to make it easier for him to access, anticipation distracting her from the previous sadness. With gentle hands he began to untangle her hair and when it was somewhat smooth again he spoke up.

“Your hair is very pretty…I love the color blue, it's my favorite”, he said and she smiled shyly at the compliment. She had always liked the color of her hair, she liked to style it in different ways but most of all she found great comfort when someone else did it. Like Viktor was doing now. The safety of his presence was putting her in a state of calm, the sadness from before slowly getting washed away in sync with the gentle motion of his hands in her hair.

“It’s your favorite?” she asked and he nodded.

“It is”, he confirmed before asking her another question. “So…one or two braids?” She thought for a long moment, as if deciding something very important.

“Two, please…”

When her hair was all done she walked over to the window and looked at her reflection with a soft smile. The sight of her smile made him feel like he succeeded in her mission to make her feel better. He stood up and walked over to the window and glanced out at the gloomy night sky. 

“I’ve been to Piltover a few times and you can see all the stars if you’re at the right place. If you want to I can show you some day…” he suggested and her eyes widened at the offer.

“Do you know a lot about the stars?” she asked and tilted her head slightly.

“I do actually…I know all the old stories about why they have their names and how they're all related. Stories about gods and war and love and magic”, he said and her smile widened, she had always loved stories. 

They sat in a comfortable silence for some time, looking out at the night sky as if trying to find more stars despite the fact that clouds shielded them from view. After a while Jinx glanced down at her reflection again and smiled at the sight of the neatly organized hair that had been a mess a few minutes ago.

“I like the braids a lot”, she said in a quiet voice and he gave her a warm smile.

“Well I’m glad you do, Blue”, he said and her smile widened at the nickname. 

Blue is his favorite.

She had learned the way to his dorm by heart at this point. Without telling Silco she had snuck out countless times to check on Viktor. Being forbidden to do something had never stopped her before and for such a “sacred institution” the academy ground sure was easy to break into. The campus ground was dark aside from a few streetlights and the soft glow from the red moon in the clear night sky. Stars decorated the firmament and accompanied the moon in its quest to light up the night. They reminded her of the night she went to the firelights base. The night she stood by Ekko’s side, the night when she saw the stars reflect in his chocolate brown eyes and she forgot about the world for a while. She really wanted that moment to last forever, she wanted Ekko in her life but now that whole dream was ruined. He loves Powder not Jinx…and that’s something she can’t change, no matter how much she’d like to. 

Maybe she could talk with Viktor about it and it would all feel better again. She could trust him, he would understand. She was sure of it. He always made sense of the mess in her brain. Just like he untangled her hair, he untangled her thoughts and helped her remember that she was more than Powder and more than Jinx. Viktor taught her it was okay to not be okay. Just like he taught her about the constellations and stars in the sky he taught her that even though she had a place amongst those stars, a chance to become something great, she was still a person. Still his sister, still his favorite.

She just hated that the stars shined brighter in piltover.

After what felt like hours of running she finally reached the campus building and she could see the window of Viktor’s dorm. The pressure over her chest that had plagued her ever since the arcade began easing off at the sight, at the thought of being in the comfort of Viktor’s

embrace again. Without a second thought she hurried over to the window and glanced inside. It was dark so she squinted her eyes to try and make out the figures inside. 

What in the…no.

Inside she could see both Viktor and his roommate, but what are they doing? The boy… Jayce was sitting on the bed and Viktor was standing in front of him and they were awfully close. Her eyes widened when she saw that they were both shirtless and…Jayce was touching Viktor. Pressing gentle kisses all over his torso while Viktor stroked his hair with gentle hands and Viktor was looking down at the other man with such a soft and loving gaze. The scene was so intimate and maybe Jinx should feel uncomfortable with the sight and maybe she should look away but there was something else taking over her thoughts.

Oh…you’re not his favorite anymore. This is why he left, right? This is why he’s in this stupid academy instead of home with you. He is in love with this boy.

He’s too busy to comfort you. He has other priorities than being your brother now. More important people in his life.

“No but…he promised…he said he wouldn’t leave he…h-he said I could always come to him no matter what”, she whispered to herself, desperately clinging to the words and the promises Viktor had made so many years ago.

There is one way he could come home though…

This boy has to die…

With shaky hands Jinx pulled out the grenade from her belt and stared at it with wide, empty eyes. The angry owl stared back at her and before she could come to regret her decision she twisted the head of the owl and placed it on the windowsill, soft ticking filling the otherwise quiet night air and when it was all done there was no turning back so she just started running again.

Fueled by anger this time.

Chapter Text

Viktor had been to the hospital many times before and had never liked it. He always hated the sterile white walls and the smell of disinfection that lingered everywhere. It was such a clean and uncomfortable environment but most of all he hated the reasons why he had to be there. Hospitals were filled with sick people and he counted as one of them with his godforsaken leg. Hospitals had never meant anything more than bad news for him and this time was no different.

When he woke up he didn’t even have to open his eyes to know where he was. The feeling of rough freshly washed sheets and the soft beeping of a monitor told him that he was in a hospital bed for some reason. When he did open his eyes he was immediately blinded by the evening sun shining in from the open drapes and after getting used to the light he glanced around the room, which he found to be empty.

Then it all came back to him.

The night before. Jayce’s hands on his body, the things he whispered in the quiet of the night. The memories sent a rush of heat to his face and a soft smile crept up on his lips. He couldn’t recall ever feeling that happy before and that feeling would have lasted if it wasn’t for…Jinx.

The pleasant warmth he felt in his chest quickly disappeared when he remembered what happened. He was in disbelief over the fact that Jinx would do something like that and…Jayce.

Without hesitating for another second he sat up, ignoring the dizziness that hit him at the sudden movement. He had to find Jayce, he needed Jayce. With great effort he got up from the bed and steadied himself on the IV drip. When he noticed the tubes attached to his arm he immediately went to jank them out and before he could get any further than that a nurse entered the room.

“You need to get back into bed!” she ordered and walked up to him, gently urging him to sit down again.

“No no I don’t…I need Jayce where’s Jayce?” he pleaded desperately and the nurse shot him a sympathetic look.

“He’s in the room next door but we really do need you to sit down again, you both suffered from head injuries in the explosion”, she said in a soft voice but he just waved her off.

“I don’t care I need Jayce…I need Jayce”, he repeated and she sighed.

“You are allowed to visit him but please-”

She couldn’t finish the sentence before he pushed past her and limped out into the hall, steading himself on the wall. While completely ignoring the ache in his body as he made his way to the other room. As soon as he entered the sterile hospital room his eyes fell on Jayce’s unconscious form on the bed.

“Jayce…”, Viktor whispered and limped over to Jayce’s bedside. 

Jayce was still dead asleep and the monotone sound of the monitor beeping beside him made the whole scene so surreal. Jayce wasn’t meant to be here, and for some reason Viktor couldn’t help but feel like this was all his fault somehow. After all he did know going to the academy was a risk, he knew it would affect Jinx but he was selfish enough to leave her behind. If he just would’ve stayed in Zaun with Jinx and Silco Jayce never would have gotten hurt. If he would’ve been there for Jinx, if he would’ve been there to calm her and prevent her from freaking out like this none of this would’ve happened and Jayce would be safe and sound. Jayce would probably be better off not knowing him at all.

He had failed as a son. He had failed as a brother. He had failed as…he didn’t want to say friend because he was more than that to Jayce. At least he hoped, he prayed, that he was more to Jayce. 

Friend was just such an understatement, it couldn’t describe what they were to each other. Actually Viktor couldn’t think of a single word that described what they were. What he felt with Jayce, it was beyond the body. What he felt with Jayce was the colors in the sunset, it was the steam in the river he played by as a kid, it was the feeling of skin against skin. He learned that last part yesterday. He learned that the feeling of Jayce’s skin on his somehow still wasn’t enough to satisfy the hunger in his chest. He learned that no matter how many kisses he received or how closely they were pressed against one another it still would never be enough. Viktor really thought that the closeness and intimacy they shared in that moment would be enough to satisfy his need for Jayce, but if anything it only served to put fuel on Viktor’s burning need. Never would he ever have enough of Jayce. 

So with the aching feeling of yearning taking control of his body he reached forward and grabbed Jayce’s hand, lifting it to his face. Jayce’s hand was rough and warm and Viktor pressed his palm to his cheek, relishing in the skin to skin contact. He took a deep breath before pressing a tender kiss to Jayce’s knuckles.

“Please please be okay, Jayce…I don’t care if you’ll hate me. I don’t care if you regret what you said yesterday, I don’t care if you regret it all. I really don’t care, okay? All I need from you is for you to be okay…please do that for me”, he whispered in a weak voice, doing his best to keep his tone steady.  

He really did mean that. He would be fine with Jayce not loving him, he’d be fine with Jayce waking up just to tell him that it was all a mistake. He knew deep down that Jayce loving him was too good to be true anyways, but it would all be okay as long as Jayce was okay. He needed Jayce to be okay more than he had ever needed for himself to be okay, he would rather have taken that blow entirely by himself.

 Of course he had tried that night. Of course he had tried shielding Jayce’s body with his own and of course that still wasn’t enough because he was too weak. Too weak to protect him. It had been a horrible moment after Viktor saw the grenade on the windowsill. It was just a second but the panic that overwhelmed him in that second could’ve easily killed him when he connected the dots and realized that Jayce could die. So he tried shoving Jayce off of him, because he needed to be closer to the explosion and he needed to be the one taking the hit. But of course Jayce was hugging him too tight and he was just impossible to move. The last thing he remembered thinking was that if he had to pick a way to die, being in a loved one’s arms was the way.

A silent tear rolled down his cheek and he couldn’t even bring himself to try and stop it as he leaned down and pressed another tender kiss to Jayce’s cheek.  With a gentle hand he stroked away the ruffled hair from Jayce’s forehead.

 He looked beautiful even as he laid there unconscious in a hospital bed. 

He was always beautiful.

Another pang of guilt hit Viktor as he remembered that he never told Jayce how beautiful he was. He had wanted to, many times he found himself fighting the impulse to just blurt it out but he never had the courage to actually tell him. He was sure Jayce was used to people commenting on his beauty, he was sure Jayce went on plenty of dates with equally beautiful people and Viktor would only be embarrassing himself if he too told Jayce about his beauty. Being beautiful makes you used to beauty, so if you are beautiful the word beautiful loses its meaning. Maybe Jayce calling him beautiful yesterday was nothing special, maybe it was not a big deal after all. Even if it wasn’t a big deal to Jayce it certainly was for Viktor, because he wasn’t used to beauty in that sense. Beauty was something Viktor was supposed to observe, something to be admired but never given to him. Beauty wasn’t meant for Viktor like it was for Jayce and that was yet another reminder that Jayce, just like beauty itself, wasn’t meant for him. 

“Oh…you must be Viktor”, a sudden voice snapped him out of his thoughts. When he turned around to see who had spoken he caught sight of a woman standing in the doorway. She had the same complections as Jayce, the same kind eyes and smile.

“Yes…um yes I’m Viktor…how did you know that?” Viktor asked as he quickly pulled back from Jayce, cheeks burning like he’d been caught red handed doing something shameful.

The woman smiled slightly as she studied Viktor’s face for a moment before speaking again.

“I’m Jayce’s mother. Ximena Talis”, she introduced herself and Viktor straightened up, suddenly accurately aware of how intimate the moment had been before she entered. 

Jayce’s mother?

“Nice to meet you”, Viktor said politely and the woman walked further into the room. She glanced down at her son asleep on the bed and Viktor couldn’t help but wonder what type of impression he was making on her. If she approved of him. Would she think he was good enough for her son? Probably not, and certainly not if she found out his sister was the one who put her son in the hospital in the first place. That it was indirectly Viktor’s fault her son was hurt.

“It’s nice to meet you too…he talks about you, a lot”, Ximena said and that new piece of information caused Viktor’s eyes to widen. He talks with his mother about him? Was that what he was saying during all those late night calls in the dorm? 

“Oh…what does he say?” Viktor asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. The woman smiled and glanced down at Jayce before returning her gaze to Viktor again. 

“He tells me a lot…you’re very dear to him. I mean you’re kind of the only thing he's ever talked about lately. You make him really happy. He's all smiles whenever he’s talking about you ”, she said and Viktor’s eyes widened.

“Oh…I mean from what I’ve seen he’s always all smiles”, Viktor said, trying to force the blush away from his cheeks with pure willpower.

“Yeah he is… but the smile he has for you is different”, Ximena said and Viktor’s brows furrowed.

“Different? Different how?” Viktor asked and Ximena gave him a meaningful look. Like the answer to that question was obviously, like he shouldn’t even have to ask it.

“Well is it not obvious? It’s the look of-“ before she could finish her sentence a hoarse voice interrupted her. 

"Mamá, please don’t embarrass me.”

Viktor turned around to stare at Jayce, who was now half awake and blushing violently. An involuntary croaky gasp escaped Viktor’s throat as he saw that Jayce was finally awake. That he would be okay after all. Without hesitating, or taking into consideration that Jayce’s mother was still in the room, he threw himself into Jayce’s arms and buried his face in the crook of his neck. Despite the ache in his body Jayce hugged back, wrapping his arms around Viktor’s waist in a secure grip. 

“I’m so sorry, Jayce…I’m so so sorry”, Viktor murmured and Jayce tightened his arms around him ever so slightly.

“Mamá can you give us a moment?” Jayce said and Ximena gave him a short nod and knowing smile before exiting the room, leaving the two men alone together.

Viktor pulled back from the embrace after a moment, but despite putting some distance between them Jayce still made sure to keep his hand on Viktor’s hip. Never further apart than this, never would he ever want to be further apart than this. He felt like he needed that. He needed to be close to Viktor more than he needed the tubes attached to his forearms, more than he needed the glass of water on the bedside table, more than he needed the fresh air coming from the open window. More than he needed anything else.

“Why did you say you’re sorry?” Jayce asked gently and brought his other hand up to cup Viktor's cheek in a tender and comforting gesture. On pure instinct Viktor leaned his head into the touch and closed his eyes for a moment, relaxing at the affection Jayce and him shared at the moment.

“Everything…the…the explosion”, Viktor muttered, struggling to get the words out. 

“Hey…hey it’s fine, okay? You don’t have to talk…just take a few deep breaths. I’m here and I’m not planning on going anywhere”, Jayce said reassuringly. 

“The…the whole explosion I…the thing that caused it. Just when I was about to fall asleep I saw the grenade on the windowsill and it…I’ve seen it before”, Viktor whispered and Jayce’s eyebrows furrowed at the words.

“You’ve seen it before? Where?” Jayce asked curiously and watched Viktor take a deep breath.

“It was…it was my sister's invention”, Viktor blurted out and Jayce’s eyes widened but before he could comment on the new information Viktor spoke again. Way too scared of what Jayce would say to even let him finish. “Look, my family is complicated. They are messed up and I’m messed up and I’ve done some messed up stuff before and I never told you about them because I didn’t want to scare you off but now I’m gonna tell you so please listen”, Viktor said and Jayce chuckled at how serious Viktor sounded.

“What is your dad a crime boss or something?” Jayce joked in an attempt to lighten the mood and Viktor sighed quietly. Well now the cat was out of the bag.

“Yeah. He is”, Viktor muttered and Jayce’s eyes widened.

“What? Are you serious? I mean I heard some rumours but I just figured it was my friends being assholes like usual…but um…” Jayce looks down, trying to process what he had just learned. Viktor notices the shift in Jayce’s demeanor and his heart immediately plummets to his feet. Jayce would resent him, maybe even hate him and that thought crushed his fucking heart. 

Of course it’s too good to be true. Of course loving Jayce and having him love him back was way too much to ask for. The truth about who Viktor was, who he was born as and who he was raised as, was too much for Jayce to comprehend. Sweet, wonderful, beautiful Jayce was too good for him. Viktor didn’t deserve Jayce and he knew that, it was painful, obvious and gut wrenching but it was the truth and it couldn’t be avoided. No matter how much he loved Jayce he would still always be who he was. He would still be the broken little boy from Zaun, an awkward, ugly, imperfect creature that was reaching for things never meant to be his. He was reaching for Jayce, he was yearning for something he had no right to. Desperate for Jayce who was too good, too perfect to be with him. 

“Look…you don’t really know me. If you did, if you knew me and my past and every little imperfection that I’m made off then you never…you never would have said what you said, done what you did yesterday. You would never want me, Jayce. I understand that. I was an idiot for hoping otherwise but please know that I’ve never never been happier…than when you told me I was perfect. Even though I know it was a lie. It’s a lie Jayce because I’ve never been anything close to perfect. The only moment that…the only thing I’ve had in my life that could be considered perfect is you, Jayce. Because you…you…” Viktor had been rambling for so long but he still wasn’t done, he wasn’t even sure that he was making any sense but he just needed Jayce to listen and understand right now. 

He couldn’t look at him because he felt so pathetic right now. He was so pathetic for telling Jayce this and it made him vulnerable and weak but he had to say it nonetheless. Even though he had struggled all his life trying to escape this feeling of weakness he was succumbing to it right now, to tell Jayce what he needed him to know.

“Viktor I-” Jayce began but Viktor quickly interrupted him.

“No, Jayce. Let me finish because if I don’t, I won’t have the strength to attempt it again”, Viktor whispered and Jayce quieted down.

 Before he lost his courage Viktor raised his head and met Jayce’s gaze. Looking into those hazel eyes, those eyes that he had fallen so hopelessly in love with, then he opened his mouth and spoke again.

“I never thought I could…love something like I love you. I never thought I would experience happiness like that but…but you showed me it. You gave that to me, Jayce. You showed me love in ways I never thought I’d see. I never thought love was for me and I was completely fine with that until you showed up and ruined it all…but don’t get me wrong I wouldn’t have it any other way. I would go through that, I would fall in love with you and be in love with you and have you rip my heart out of my chest and stomp on it but I would do it all because I love you”

When Viktor finally finished there was a long silence. 

Viktor was staring into Jayce’s eyes and he couldn’t read Jayce’s facial expressions well enough to figure out what Jayce was thinking. He mostly looked stunned. His eyes were wide with shock and mouth slightly agape. Which was a very valid reaction to what Viktor had just confessed. When Jayce didn’t say anything and the silence was starting to tear at his heart, Viktor took a step back. Realizing to full extent what he had just said.

What did you just do? 

Why did you say that?

Because you had to, right? You needed him to know so you told him and now he hates you.

Viktor took a deep breath and stared down at Jayce for a second, committing the sight of his face to memory before turning on his heel and exiting the room. 

Ignoring the feeling of his heart breaking in his chest he kept limping down the empty hallway. He had to get out of here somehow. He needed to get away from this hospital and he needed to get away from Jayce because his heart just hurt. If an actual heart could break, Viktor was pretty sure that it was what was happening to him right now. 

“Viktor! Viktor, please wait!” a voice behind him suddenly called for his attention. 

It was Jayce’s voice. He’d recognize that voice anywhere. Just as he would recognize the feeling of his skin against his own no matter where they were and the light in his eyes no matter how dark it was, he heard that voice and knew it instantly. 

“Viktor, look at me!” Jayce yelled and Viktor took a moment to brace himself before turning around to face Jayce.

He was standing there on the other side of the empty hallway. 

Standing there, steadying himself on the IV drip, hair ruffled and eyes tired. Standing there was the man Viktor loved and he looked so…angry?

Jayce could barely contain his emotions anymore. The anger from Viktor trying to leave, the confusion and frustration and joy that came after Viktor’s confession. It was all overwhelming him and the only thing he knew was that he needed Viktor to listen. Never had he been so sure of anything before, he’d never been sure about something like he was about Viktor and he needed Viktor to shut up and listen to him.

“Don’t you dare move another inch”, Jayce gritted out and Viktor couldn’t do anything but oblige, he had never heard Jayce’s voice like this before. 

“Jayce…I’m sorry I sprung all that on you I just needed you t-“

“And don’t you dare try to fucking apologies! Not after everything you said. We almost died yesterday!” Jayce yelled while walking up to Viktor, closing the distance despite the ache in his body.

“Jayce I-“

“Stop it, Viktor! You’re gonna stay there and you’re gonna goddamn listen to me!” Jayce snapped and the frustration and anger radiating off of Jayce was so out of character for him that it stunned Viktor into silence.

“Everything and everyone in my life made sense…until you”, Jayce began and took a moment to collect himself before speaking again. “Before you, I thought I knew what I wanted out of life. I thought I knew what happiness was until you showed up and…it was like all light just disappeared whenever we were apart. It was like you just took all the color in the world with you whenever you weren’t with me and you left me completely and utterly desperate for you. You are my light, you are the colors . You showed up and suddenly I was just not the same, suddenly I was nothing when I wasn’t with you so don’t you dare tell me that what I did and said yesterday was a mistake because it was the best thing I’ve ever done! Loving you was the best thing that ever fucking happened to me!” 

When Jayce finished he was out of breath from all the screaming, with chest heaving and eyes tearing up he must look like a mess. Not that it mattered. The only thing that mattered was Viktor.

And Viktor was speechless. The only thing he could think was “I don’t deserve this.” He didn’t deserve Jayce but here he was. Standing in front of Jayce while he went on about loving Viktor. 

Loving

It was something Viktor never saw himself doing, and he definitely didn’t imagine himself at the receiving end of the verb. That someone…no not someone, that Jayce loved him. Beautiful, wonderful Jayce. He didn’t deserve it and he was selfish for wanting it yet he couldn’t stop himself from needing it.

“Jayce…Jayce you really shouldn’t. You shouldn’t, you can’t love me when you don’t even know me. You don’t know what I’ve done I-“

“Bullshit… Bullshit! I know you, I know you. You don’t get to decide whether or not I can or can’t love you because I do! I don’t care what you’ve done or who your family is or where you’re from! Don’t you get that? I…I don't care about any of it because it’s you and I love you . Everything else is just meaningless in comparison…in comparison to you everything loses meaning and that scares me, Viktor. Loving you is scary because I don’t know what to do with myself because you consume every fiber of my being and I am entirely yours ”, Jayce said while taking yet another step closer to Viktor, a fire burning in his eyes that both scared and excited Viktor. Jayce was staring at Viktor like he needed him and he was frustrated and desperate for him. It would be a lie to say Viktor didn’t absolutely love it.

“Jayce…”

“No. Don’t you say my name like that”, Jayce muttered and sighed. “Viktor…Viktor do you understand that I love you?  I need you to know that…I need you to understand that, okay? Please please please let me love you…let me love you and let me have you because I need you so goddamn bad I can barely breathe. And yesterday? That will be happening again and again because I haven’t kissed all the moles on your body yet. I’m gonna kiss them all a million times and I’m pretty sure that still won’t be enough because-” 

Viktor couldn’t even comprehend what he was doing before he was closing the distance between them. His body acted on pure instinct as he threw himself into Jayces arms and slammed their lips together in a bruising, desperate kiss. Jayce let out a grunt of surprise at the sudden gesture but without hesitating for even a second he was kissing back. With gentle hands he cupped Viktor’s face and tilted it upwards just slightly to deepen the kiss, parting Viktor’s lips with his tongue. Viktor willingly complied and parted his lips to deepen the kiss further. Jayce tasted sweet and Viktor sighed softly, completely and utterly content now that he was finally kissing Jayce. 

But then the kiss turned salty. Viktor pulled back slightly at the taste of salt on his tongue and noticed that tears were rolling down Jayce’s cheeks while he tried to steady his breathing. Concern immediately washed over him as he studied Jayce’s face, trying to figure out what could’ve possibly made him cry in a moment like this. 

“Am I that bad?” Viktor asked, trying his best to not sound hurt. Had he ruined the moment? Was he that bad a kisser that Jayce was crying? But Jayce quickly shook his head and wiped the tears away from his cheeks with the back of his hand while a broken chuckle escaped his lips. 

“No…no god no I…I’m just so, so happy”, he whispered and Viktor relaxed.

Before he could tell Jayce that he too was so so happy he got pulled back into another desperate kiss. He didn’t mind the salt this time, he didn’t mind how desperate he was and how weak that made him and he didn’t mind how complicated this whole situation was. Nothing mattered besides this exact moment because he was actually kissing Jayce and it wasn’t just a dream.

Viktor pulled back but only to rest his forehead against Jayce’s.

This is where he belonged.

Chapter Text

Silco was sitting in his office with a bunch of shipment plans and reports sprayed across the desk in front of him. Not that he was focusing on any of it. No matter how much he tried he just could not get his mind to focus. Which was incredibly infuriating since he always relied on his mind and the sheer control he had over it. He rubbed a hand over his face and let out an irritated sigh. Maybe his life would’ve been better if he had no one to care for. If he never took in Viktor and if he had just left Jinx after the incident he could’ve saved himself a lot of trouble, but the mere thought caused his chest to tighten. Life would be easier and he would probably have even more power and control, but he wouldn’t be content. Life with affection and people to care for was complicated but Silco knew that no matter what they did or how much trouble they caused he would never stop loving them. Because they were a family. 

Which was a great part as to why this whole situation was so complicated, why it was distracting him so.

No work was getting done that evening so he gave up. He stood up from his chair and strolled over to the big window that illuminated the room in a cold green light. Why must everything be so difficult all the time? Why couldn’t they both just do what he wanted, why did they have to be so much like him? The fact that they ignored his rules and became their own selves despite his constant lessons and scolding was a trait he recognized all too well. It was infuriating how alike they all were.   

Silco grabbed the injector from his desk and watched the metal glimmer in the light for a moment before bringing it to his eye. It took a moment for him to focus the needle on his pupil since he hadn’t done this in a while, he was used to Jinx doing it for him. A groan of frustration escaped him as he failed to hit the pupil. After a few more failed attempts he finally got it right but still ended up throwing the injector into a wall in pure frustration.

He knew he had to talk to her. This wasn’t something he could postpone for longer, not like when she first arrived. Viktor wasn’t here to comfort her and deal with the things he didn’t have the emotional capacity to do. Viktor wasn’t here and there was a strong possibility that he wouldn’t come back.

The call about the incident came right after Jinx arrived back home. She didn’t speak to him that night, she went to her room and shut herself inside and just like when she first arrived he was a stranger to her again. The cries echoed through the hall just like all those years ago, if not louder, if not worse. He wouldn’t have had a clue about what happened if the dean of the academy hadn’t called and informed about an explosion that occurred on campus that sent both Viktor and his roommate to the hospital. Silco could put two and two together and realized that it must’ve been Jinx. Now Viktor and his roommate were both alive and Silco was told that he could come visit the hospital but he refrained from doing so because of Jinx. He was absolutely furious at her and stood outside her door and yelled at her for an hour but after he was done with his tantrum he realised that he should've handled that differently,

Viktor certainly would have handled it differently. Now she was locked in her room and hadn’t spoken to him for a week. It was getting out of hand.

The door to Jinx’s room was closed and Silco knocked on it to let her know he was outside, but just like the last couple days he got no answer. So he decided to just open the door without permission.

No light illuminated the room except from the light from the corridor, which meant she’d been laying in the dark. The room was dull and silent and nothing like what it usually was. No music played in the background while she worked on her latest projects. No humming to the tune on the record player, like Felicia used to do. It was quiet and dark. Jinx was simply laying in her bed with her hair undone, the long blue locks spread out all around her like a waterfall running through the cracks of a mountain. The plates of food he had brought up to her last night were completely untouched and the sight caused a pang of worry to surge through him, when’s the last time she ate?

“Jinx…Jinx can you hear me?” He asked carefully while approaching her carefully, trying and failing at keeping his voice calm and collected. It was obvious how distressed this was making him. As expected he got no answer, she showed no reaction whatsoever to his question. Instead she kept staring at the wall with blank eyes, the warm light from the hallway hitting her eye making it glimmer. An indicator that she’d been crying not long before this moment. “Jinx. Viktor is fine, he was released from the hospital and he’ll be fine. What you did was foolish and irrational…I suppose…but it’s not something that can’t be undone. He will come back, he always does”, he said while taking a seat on the bed, hesitating for a bit before reaching over to run his hand over her hair.

No reaction.

What would Viktor do? How would Viktor handle this? First he would probably talk to her, but Silco didn’t have that ability. He was never able to use words like Viktor did, he couldn't speak to her and make her understand. Words didn’t help here, that wasn’t the language they communicated in. The way he showed affection was through actions. Silco protected those he loved and he would do anything for them, but to express himself in these casual settings in the quiet of his own home wasn’t something he could do.

 Maybe he didn’t have to? Maybe words were just unnecessary.

What did Viktor do besides talking? The only thing Silco could come up with was that silly little ritual of braiding her hair. 

“Jinx? How about I tidy your hair up?” He suggested and for the first time in days she actually looked him in the eye. Those sad blue irises gazing up at him, they were usually so energetic, so full of light and life. It frightened him to see that spark completely gone.

“In braids?” she whispered in a hoarse voice and the fact that she actually responded to him for a change gave him a little hope. 

“Of course”, he said and nodded slightly. There was a moment of silence between them before she sat up slowly.

“Two braids?”

“Yes two braids”, he said and she turned around so he could access her tangled hair. 

Silco had to admit that even though his hairstyling skills had significantly improved he still sucked at it. This had to go well so he decided to take some time just to brush it, gently combing through the locks so as to not accidentally pull at her hair and cause discomfort. She just sat there with closed eyes and let him attempt to comfort her even if it wasn’t working in the same way it did when Viktor did it.

“I want him to come home”, she whispered and Silco’s movements came to a halt as a wave of sorrow hit him. He wanted Viktor home too. He really really wanted his son back with him. All he wanted was his kids back, he wanted Viktor home again and he wanted Jinx to be herself again. The sound of laughing and music from when the two of them hung out together that previously bugged him was now all he wanted to hear.

“I know…I want that as well”, he whispered before continuing combing through her hair.

“He…he has someone in Piltover. That stupid boy…I saw them together and-“ she couldn’t finish her sentence before a glimpse of anger appeared in her eyes and she pressed her lips together tightly.

“Who? What do you mean you saw them?” He asked, confusion filling his face at the statement. Had someone? What does that mean?

“He…” the previous look of anger had completely vanished from her features and been replaced by a familiar…emptiness. 

“Jinx I need to know what you mean by having someone. Can you try to tell me what you saw?” He muttered while trying his absolute hardest to keep the irritation from his voice. 

“I went to his dorm and he was with his roommate. I saw them from the window and…his name is Jayce, the roommate”, Jinx paused for a second before resuming, the words she spoke causing her great pain. “I think he loves him. The roommate was kissing and touching him and Viktor was whispering something and they…he had that look in his eye, you know? So tender, so caring, so loving”, she whispered and Silco was so shell shocked by these new pieces of information that it could have sent him into an actual coma. 

“What!? He’s not old enough to be doing anything like that! Who is this boy and why didn’t I know about this until now?!” Silco exclaimed and Jinx couldn’t help but smile slightly at his reaction.

“He’s nineteen”

“Yes. Still a teen, it's in the name. He’s MY son and I will not tolerate this behavior…stupid boy. And that Jayce person? What do we even know about him? He’s not good enough for my son…a damn topsider I thought I raised him better than that”, he muttered and for some reason his words made Jinx smile slightly. Despite how horrible she was feeling it was quite amusing to watch Silco get all frustrated over this. His reaction was very different from her’s.

“I’ve been watching them a little…he seems like a real softy but he’s also…so gentle with Viktor. Like he actually makes him happy…” she mumbled and Silco’s eyebrows furrowed.

“Happy? With a piltie? Pilties are idiots I never thought…that a piltie could see a zaunite for anything other than a zaunite that was my greatest concern when I sent him there. I don’t want that boy anywhere near my son…I understand why you did what you did, Jinx. Now it was rash and stupid but I…I miss him too I get it”, Silco whispered and she turned her head to gaze back at him and without saying anything she crawled into his arms and hugged him tightly. It took him by surprise but after getting over the shock he hugged back, letting her rest against him. 

“You do? You’re really not angry?” she whispered with a voice thick from the sadness lodged in her throat. 

“No…I’m not angry”, he whispered and as soon as those words hit her ears she broke down. Loud sobs echoed through the room and tears soaked his shirt. In an attempt to comfort her he ran his hand over her hair, gently stroking it just like he’d seen Viktor do hundreds of times. It seemed to work and although the crying didn’t waver the sobs were less hysterical. The loud sobs turned to quiet sniffles as the minutes ticked by. When she finally went quiet neither of them said anything for a long moment. The silence wasn’t uncomfortable, they simply existed in the comfort of each other’s presence for a while. Father and daughter, incomplete together. It was lonely being them, being frustrated and filled with regret and haunted by simply existing but it was a little more manageable when they had each other. 

After a few more minutes, that seemed more like hours in the haze of sorrow that filled the room he spoke up.

“Now…how about I braid your hair”, he whispered quietly and she managed a nod before turning back so he could access her hair. 

He took his time now. Not like the past weeks when he valued planning shipments over doing something as trivial as to put time and effort in hairstyling. Now he was realizing it was more about the process than the actual finished product.

“Remember…your mother used to have her hair in a braid”, he whispered, voice coming out hoarser than expected.

 Jinx’s eyes widened at his sudden statement, he never talked about anything from the past. Partly because he always told her to let that go but mainly because even though he tried not to show it, his past was his weakness. Vander and Felicia, he lost them both and the fact that he still cared even after all these years was a weakness.

“Yeah…I remember that, but her hair was different from mine”, she whispered and Silco nodded slightly.

“Mhm it was purple. She was very beautiful just like you and she would…” he wanted to say she would be proud of her daughter but he knew deep down she wouldn’t be. Of course she would love her but Silco knew that he was raising Jinx in a way Felicia wouldn’t approve of. “She loved you so much”, he landed on saying and Jinx managed a small smile in return. “And she isn’t the only one.”

That statement left the room in silence again. Jinx knew that deep down, she knew Silco loved her even though he never said it. It wasn’t how they worked.

“Don’t you think it’s time to visit them?” Jayce asked softly while tracing gentle circles on Viktor’s naked back. Viktor shook his head slightly and leaned into Jayce’s comforting touch,  trying to push the wave of sorrow that hit him down. Going home right now was out of the question. Staying at Jayce’s place had worked perfectly fine so far and he didn’t want to face neither Jinx nor Silco right now. Silco would probably be angry at him for upsetting Jinx, wouldn’t be the first time. 

“I don’t…I don’t want to face them”, he whispered and Jayce sighed softly and pressed a gentle kiss to his bare shoulder in an attempt to express his affections and comfort the other man. 

“You don’t have to. I’ll support you no matter what and you can stay here for as long as you like. I want you to stay forever but I just think they’re both worried?” He asked carefully and Viktor turned to glance back at him with a crease between his brows.

“You want me to stay forever?” He asked with amusement, but Jayce was dead serious.

“Of course I do…but I don’t want to be the one who separates you from your family”, he said and Viktor’s face softened as he took in Jayce’s words. Stay forever. He wanted that, he wanted forever.

“I mean…I’ve never felt this way before. You make me feel happy and safe and I never want to be apart from you not for one second but…I…” Viktor took a moment to gather his thoughts before speaking again. “My family is complicated. My sister…I mean she couldn’t control what she did, it's just how her mind works. She had these thoughts and voices and I’ve seen what they do to her and it breaks my heart that I can’t seem to help her…and my father. He’s just so ruthless, he does everything to have power and I don’t know if I can be a part of that anymore. When I was a kid I thought Silco was the only one who would ever care for me, in Zaun it’s survival of the fittest and no one wants to drag around someone with this leg. So when Silco took me in I did everything for him, everything he told me to do I did and some of the things I’ve done have ruined thousands of life’s. I only ever wanted to help, take the world's suffering away…I just-”, before he could continue Jayce pressed a gentle kiss to his lips to silence him. Viktor melted into the gesture and when they broke apart he looked up at Jayce to search his face with his eyes. All he saw was love.

“I don’t know how many times I have to tell you but nothing you’ve done matters to me. I know you and I love you and nothing else matters. I know I have no right to but I’m really starting to dislike your dad for all you’ve told me about him”, he said and Viktor was almost amused by how careful Jayce was being in an attempt not to offend him.

“Well it doesn’t matter what he does or who he is, he'll still be my dad and…I owe him. For everything he’s done for me. I’d be nothing without him. I'd probably be dead in a dumpster. I’m his son…he’s my father”, Viktor said quietly and Jayce sighed softly. With gentle hands he reached over to cup Viktor’s cheeks, tenderly cradling his face in his palms.

“I know that…but I need you to know that you’re more than that now. Just because you’re his son doesn’t mean you can’t be anything else. It’s your life and you're more than just a son. You're you and you're amazing and you're the man I love…” he said softly and Viktor nuzzled his face into Jayce’s palms, pressing a gentle kiss there.

“I guess so…”

“Well…despite that I still think you should talk to them. They’re your family after all. I don’t want to take you away from them. It seems like your sister needs you and if you’re worried about me then don’t be because anything that makes you happy and is good for you makes me happy. Your family needs you and I think you need them too”, he said and Viktor sighed softly as he pressed a quick kiss on his lips before sitting up in bed. 

He moved over to stand up and picked up his shirt that had been torn off of him the night before. Jayce sat up too and observed Viktor as he got dressed. Marveling at his partner's beauty for a moment. The morning sunbeams shining through the window to illuminate his pale skin, his ruffled morning hair, the golden glow of his eyes. Absolutely perfect. 

“You’re beautiful…perfect even”, Jayce said quietly, almost to himself. Viktor merely rolled his eyes, having gotten used to the statement over the last week. 

“You said that last night too”, he pointed out and Jayce grinned as he tugged Viktor down for another kiss. Viktor of course kissed back, but only briefly before pulling away to grab his cane. This much affection was really making him dizzy.

“Well you were perfect last night”, Jayce murmured, always sounding so corny and lovesick.

“Okay that’s enough, loverboy…”

Viktor stood outside of his home. It was very weird to be there after living in Piltover at Jayce’s place for so long. Everything looked like it always had, the building was no different, not the people either. Still nothing was the same. Silco and Jinx were in there and even though he knew deep down he loved them dearly it was hard to look past all the circumstances which made this situation into what it was. 

Silco would probably be mad at him for upsetting Jinx and Jinx would be all sad and apathetic. A sense of dread washed over him at the thought of Jinx having told Silco the reason she did what she did. If his father were to know about his relationship with Jayce. The mere thought caused his cheeks to burn hot with shame.

When he entered the house was as quiet as the grave. No sounds echoed through the space as Viktor walked down the hall leading to Jinx’s bedroom. He had no idea of what he was going to say. No clue how to handle this situation, which was incredibly weird since he usually was the one that had all the answers. Life was like an equation he could solve but this moment was like an irrational number that couldn’t be solved no matter how much he tried. This situation had no formula or solution. He was left stumbling around in the darkness here. All he knew was that he had to find a way to make this all okay again.

For himself, for Jinx and Silco, for Jayce.

The door to Jinx’s room was closed. Maybe she wasn’t even there but despite that possibility still he had to check. See if she was there so he could…apologize maybe? Was that what he was supposed to do? But did he really do something that needed to be apologized for? All he did was be happy, all he did was love. All he did was let himself be selfish and succumb to his desires and feelings for Jayce. Just this one time he put himself first and now everything had gone to shit. That didn’t make him a shitty person, right? In comparison to what Jinx did, to what Silco does on a daily basis what he did wasn’t that bad. He just wanted to be happy.

And Jayce makes him happy.

Before he could chicken out he opened the door to Jinx’s room without knocking and the sight that met him made him halt in his movements. Jinx and Silco sat on her bed and Jinx was curled up comfortably in his arms. The scene shocked him because Silco never expressed that sort of affection, not to Viktor at least. 

“Dad…Blue?” he whispered quietly to make his presence known and at the sound of his voice their heads shot up. Silco stared at his son with wide eyes and before he knew it he stood up from the bed and stormed over to him. For a split second Viktor expected scolding, maybe even a hit or some other type of punishment but that wasn’t what happened.

Instead Silco wrapped his arms around him in a desperate embrace. Clutching his son tightly to his chest like he’d disappear if he let go.

“You’re home…you’re okay”, Silco whispered and Viktor stared up at him with wide eyes.

“Yes...yes I’m fine”, he whispered quietly before turning his attention to Jinx who was still sitting on the bed. “Blue? Blue are you…are you okay?” he asked softly but instead of a verbal answer she shot up from the bed too and stumbled over to them both to join the hug. For a while no one knew what to say. Viktor was quiet, Jinx was quiet, Silco was quiet. All they did was stay in the comfortable embrace. Expressing the affection none of them were quite used to.

“I’m sorry…I’m sorry Viktor”, Jinx finally whispered, breaking the silence that previously owned the room. Viktor glanced up and his eyes widened at the unexpected apology. 

“It’s…it’s okay, Blue.”

That was all he could muster to say. Not that he forgave her. Not that she did no wrong because that would’ve been a lie. All three of them knew what happened was a mistake. All of them knew none of them was perfect, all of them made mistakes and all of them knew that in the end none of that mattered.

In the end they were still a family. A broken, imperfect, damaged family. 

But a family nonetheless. 

Chapter Text

“I’m not going to lie, Viktor. I’m scared…I don’t think they’ll like me”, Jayce said as they finally reached the front door of Viktor’s home. Even though he had been the one to suggest for him and Silco to meet each other he was reevaluating the idea now that the time had come. Viktor warned him about his family many times but he still wanted to have an insight into Viktor’s world, to support him and that included meeting his family.

“I could lie and say they’ll love you and there’s nothing to worry about…but yeah I’m kinda scared too”, Viktor said and that statement only served to worry Jayce further as Viktor opened the door. Before either of them could comprehend what was happening Jinx ran up to Viktor and threw herself into his arms. As to not interrupt their moment Jayce backed up against the wall and watched Viktor’s face split up into a smile.

“Hey, Blue…Happy to have me home?” Viktor asked and she nodded while pulling back from the embrace. 

Jayce should not be this afraid of a teenage girl…but this one was really really scary. Not when she was standing here in front of him with a grin plastered on her face but since Jayce knew what she was capable of he also knew she was a force to be reckoned with.

“So…Blue I want you to meet Jayce…properly this time since your last encounter was less than ideal”, Viktor finally said and Jinx gazed up at Jayce for a second, her eyes squinting as if evaluating him. The scrutinizing look made Jayce even more nervous but he still tried his best to give her a warm smile, even though it mostly ended up looking all stiff and awkward.

“Hi, Jayce …you have a nice house by the way”, Jinx said casually and the statement made Jayce’s heart plunge to his feet.

“Have you been to my house?” he asked urgently but before he could get an answer the sound of footsteps filled the hallways and all three of them turned to watch Silco ascend from the stairs. 

Now, Jayce was not only scared but terrified. This person, the father of the man he loved, radiated power. From the way he carried himself to the way his mismatched eyes stared him down. It was all so intimidating to Jayce that he took a tiny step closer to Viktor, wanting that feeling of comfort from the other man.

“Dad…this is Jayce. Jayce this is my father”, Viktor said to break the awkward silence and Jayce, who now had regained control over his limbs again, quickly walked over to Silco. Silco didn’t make any welcoming gestures and didn’t even attempt a greeting. Until Jayce grabbed his hand in a handshake, trying and failing to appear charming. Silco’s eyes widened and he recoiled at the sudden touch. How dare this boy take such liberties. 

“Hello I’m Jayce, Viktor’s partner”, Jayce said with a warm smile, which Silco didn’t return. Instead the stoic man pulled his hand back and stared at him as if trying to seek out flaws.

Since he still got no answer Jayce’s smile faltered a bit and he glanced back at Viktor for support.

“Dad, can you at least try?” he sighed and Silco huffed in irritation.

“Hello, Jayce ”, he muttered and even though the greeting was bland and rudely delivered it was still enough for Jayce to muster up a smile again.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you both…well I met Jinx before but I think this will be a better opportunity for me to get to know you both. I mean I love Viktor with all my heart and I want you to know that he’s in good hands with me. Not that he wasn’t in good hands with you I just mean that he-”, before Jayce could continue his disastrous rambling Viktor hit him on the back of his knee with his cane. Which effectively shut him up before he could dig himself deeper into a ditch.

Silco was frozen in his place. What Jayce just said hit him like a truck. I love Viktor with all my heart. How did this boy say it so casually? Like it was no big deal? Like loving Viktor was so natural and easy for him that he could just mention it in the bypass. It had taken Silco years to accept the fact that he loved Viktor. To allow himself to be vulnerable to the extent that he could just say it was still something Silco hadn’t managed to do. That this boy, this piltie, just said it…

It made Silco furious in a way he couldn’t even imagine trying to word. If the wrath was directed at him or the boy…he wasn’t sure of.

“So let’s eat dinner”, Viktor said when the silence started to become uncomfortable again and gave Jayce a shove further down the corridor. Which made Jinx giggle and Jayce smile sheepishly. 

Silco remained stoic though.

If the introduction had been awkward the dinner was a thousand times worse. Jayce felt like he wanted to crawl out of his skin as Silco stared at him with what could only be described as disgust in his eyes. 

What did I do to make him look at me like that? Jayce thought for himself but…he already knew the answer of course. You’re sleeping with his son. You're stealing Viktor from him and you’re a piltie.

“Wait, I forgot to ask…this isn’t salamanders right?” Jayce asked Viktor quietly and the genuine worry in his voice caused a smile to spread over Viktor’s previously tense features.

“No no…it’s a normal dish I promise”, he said and put a reassuring hand over Jayce’s on the table. The sight caused Silco’s eyes to twitch and the look in them went from disgust to pure

and sheer hatred. A burning rage shimmering just under the surface as he watched his son have even the slightest display of affection towards this boy… Jayce. God, even his name was irritating. That smile too… and his easy going natural way of loving Viktor.

“Who doesn’t like salamanders?” Jinx scoffed and Jayce’s eyes flickered over to her, seeing this as a chance to invite her into the conversation.

“Pilties for the most part, we’re pretty weak, right? “ Jayce said and Jinx nodded.

“You’re right about Pilties being weak…I’m glad you’re aware of that”, she muttered with a small smile and Jayce chuckled heartedly. The sound fills the room, making the atmosphere slightly lighter with its warmth. Viktor glanced up at Jayce with a soft look in his eyes. He was once again struck by the effect Jayce had on people, his ability to lighten the mood and make people smile. It was one of the reasons he fell for him, the way he was just so likable, so loving and warm.

Before he could join the conversation something in the corner of his eyes caught his attention. It was a movement outside the window, it looked like someone was out there. But that wasn’t likely since they weren’t at ground level and the person would have to have some sort of hovering device to be on their level. 

Maybe it was an owl or something. He could swear he’d seen a pair of brown eyes.

“Viktor? What are you looking at?” Jayce asked with furrowed brows and Viktor quickly snapped out of his thoughts.

“Nothing…thought I saw someone but it must’ve been an owl or something”, he muttered and to his surprise Jinx perked up at his statement and snapped her head towards the window, staring out of it with an almost desperate look in her eyes. 

Viktor was about to ask what the matter was but Silco cleared his throat and since that was the only thing resembling interaction since they sat down all attention immediately falled on him.

“So…Jayce…how’d you get into the academy? It’s a prestigious school after all”, he said and Jayce’s previously relaxed state was replaced by an underlying tension as he sat up straight to answer Silco.

“I’ve always wanted to be an inventor, to help people and find ways to help the city and make a better future. Since I happen to have a talent for mathematics and science and mechanics, I just gave it my all and I got in”, he said and Viktor’s eyes softened as he spoke about his reasoning behind working so tirelessly with his studies. Silco on the other hand didn’t look impressed at all. This boy was just another man who thought he could take on the world. Pathetic.

“Yeah? Help the city you say? For Piltover, right? It’s such a wonderful place despite all its flaws. You’re a prime example of that. Dreams. All is possible in the land of progress, all is possible for you pilties. You have such dreams…much like my Viktor only your motivation is to help the city . You’ve been raised in Piltover, you’re loyal to that place. You’re spoiled and idealistic. You want to help a society which stands for progress…but you have no idea which is the conscience of progress. How in order to evolve you need to step on a few useless bugs. Like zaunites. You don’t know Viktor like we do and-”

“I’m sorry, sir but I said nothing of the sort. Piltover isn’t the target for my research at the academy and I do know Viktor”, Jayce said and the fact that he had just interrupted Silco in his lecture had stunned the whole table into silence. The sudden attention fixated on him made Jayce anxious again and one glance at Viktor told him that he needed to shut the hell up.

But he wasn’t gonna do that. He was going to speak.

“Look I…I know you don’t like me. You have reasoning behind it and I won’t blame you for being cautious around me. However I will blame you for not even trying to give me a fair chance when all I’ve ever done is love your son. From the first moment I saw him and for the rest of my life I’ll always love him and I’m not saying that so you’ll accept me. I’m saying that because it’s the truth…I’m saying that because all my dreams went out the window when I got to know Viktor and fell in love with everything he is. When he told me about Zaun and his people and when I realized that I want to make a change where it’s needed. With Viktor by my side”, Jayce said and even though it was about the hardest thing he’s ever done he held eye contact with Silco the entire time. Looking into that red angry eye in an attempt to make him understand. Because of the fact that he even attempted to insinuate that his love for Viktor wasn’t true, his love for Viktor was the only thing he’d never doubted, the only thing he’d ever truly known.

Silco held eye contact too. What the boy was saying was a tough pill to swallow. The word love was spinning around in his head and messing everything up. How could this boy just…love. This boy, this piltie, was loving Viktor. Loving Viktor and the fact that he could do it so easily and naturally was a threat. Viktor would leave Silco, leave Zaun. Viktor was no longer just his son, Viktor wasn’t dependent on Silco anymore. Love was natural for Viktor now too, you could see it in the way he looked at Jayce. Somehow Jayce’s love had rubbed off on Viktor and now love was a part of Viktor too. 

Loving. Loving was apparently easy now.

“Well I don’t know you. I only know you’re not good enough for my son. How am I supposed to know you’re telling the truth and how am I supposed to trust you?” It was a weak argument but Silco couldn’t come up with any other argument.

“You know Viktor, you love Viktor. I know Viktor, I love Viktor. So so so much. These last few months since I’ve gotten to know Viktor have been the best in my life. Ever since we got partnered up for our project I just…I knew. We want to work together too. Viktor showed me how much help is needed in Zaun, so I came up with our water filtration system and we’re currently finishing that up before coming up with more ways to help people. Together ”, Jayce said and Silco’s brows furrowed.

“Water filtration system?” Silco asked and now it was Jayce’s turn to look confused. Out of everything he just said, that's what stuck?

“Yeah…it’s our project for advanced mechanics. The concept is for the filtration system to be cheap and accessible for everyone so Zaun doesn’t have to rely on Piltover’s water reservoirs”, he explained and Silco was stunned for a moment. Maybe he had misjudged this boy.

“That…that’s actually not…bad”, he muttered, his voice barely audible as he admitted both to the people in the room and to himself that a piltie wasn’t so bad. He had personal experience and knew how pulutied the waters around Zaun were, his eye stinging in phantom pain as the memory flooded his mind. Water. No air, hands around his neck, the desperation that came with fading from reality.

“Silco?” Viktor’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts. 

“Yeah…um…that sounds good”, he muttered and that simple acknowledgement made both Viktor and Jayce smile slightly.

“Good.”

The rest of the dinner was filled with silence for the most part, aside from Jayce initiating conversation with Jinx which she surprisingly returned eagerly. Apparently she didn’t resent Jayce as much as she did when they first interacted. She babbled on about her inventions and Jayce listened and responded and praised her. That fact made Viktor incredibly happy and even though neither Jinx nor Silco fully accepted Jayce yet the dinner was still a success according to him. 

All four of them now stood in the hallway to say their goodbyes. 

“Thank you so much again for having me it was lovely”, Jayce said and reached over to shake Silco’s hand again and to his surprise he didn’t recoil and instead tightened his grip to the point where it was painful. 

“You’re welcome. However I want you to walk out of this house with one thing in mind. One wrong move. If I hear about a single tiny thing you’ve done to hurt Viktor I’ll kill you”, he muttered and before he could go into detail with how he’d go about doing that Viktor pulled Jayce back and shot his father a glare.

“Okay that’s enough. We’ll be going now…but I’ll be back on Friday”, Viktor said and gave Jinx a quick hug before waving goodbye to both of them. The promise of returning on Friday made both Jinx and Silco relax. Viktor was still their family, he was still with them.

As he walked out the door he grabbed Jayce’s hand and they both walked down the dimly lit street together. The warmth from Jayce’s hand made up for the cool night air and everything was good. For the first time in his life he was truly happy. The moon wasn’t visible from Zaun, nor were the stars. The streets were dirty and he knew that somewhere someone was suffering from shimmer. Someone was suffering from something he created. However, somehow he was fine with that. In some way he was okay with the world.  

He would find a way to make it better, he would fix his past mistakes and help the world.

With the man he loved by his side.