Chapter Text
Air forces its way into Viktor's lungs.
His eyes slam wide open as he coughs and gasps in oxygen.
He can't make out his surroundings, but whatever's below him is cold, smooth, and solid.
He's alive.
Well, not for long, his brain helpfully supplies. It's dark, cold, no food, his chest is betraying him in the worst way possible, and Viktor knows better than anyone that he isn't strong enough to get up. Oh yes, and he's alone.
Nobody to save you.
Except he isn't alone. As his breathing evens out and his eyes become used to the light, or lack of it coming from some kind of hole in the middle of the room, Viktor finds himself staring into the eyes of someone.
They're sitting on- something. A large rock. Concrete.
'Who are you?'
Ah. He knew that voice. Jayce. Talis. His old lab partner. Ex lab partner. Mortal enemy. Or mortal friend. It's complicated. Everything from the last two years of his memory has been complicated. And Jayce doesn't recognize him.
Viktor tries to speak, but what comes out instead is nothing but a raspy whisper.
'Yeah, okay, I get the message. Can't talk.'
'No.' His voice cracked halfway through. 'I can. Not that it matters.' He rasped. Yeah, he won't be sounding like himself in a long time. 'Where are we?'
'In the heart of the Hexgates. They're gone now. And that's good, just for context. I... maybe I fell through the roof. It's a miracle I survived.'
'Okay.'
'Why wouldn't it matter that you can talk? We just need to clear away this rubble,' Jayce muttered, vaguely gesturing somewhere, 'Which isn't holding the roof up, just impeding further movement, and there's a tunnel out that's statistically unlikely to have collapsed like the room around us, and I saw the blueprints, it's really very sturdy, and then-'
'That is not what I meant. I meant that I am too weak to get up. I found it a struggle even before- this- and now I am sure to lay here until the air has left my lungs as it was five minutes ago. Look at me. I have needles for arms- not even something as strong as that- twigs. Twig arms.'
Jayce looked at him. 'Meh, you look fine to me. A bit on the slim side, sure, but I wouldn't call you a twig man.'
'Well then, it must be darker than we think.'
'You remind me of an old...' He paused to think about something. 'Friend. Yeah. He was- he was a friend. Of mine. He was similar to you. Same accent, very-'
'-Rude?'
'-Blunt. His name was Viktor. My lab partner. First time I met him he called himself a "poor cripple from The Undercity." Unlike you, though, he wasn't one to give up. He actually saved me from thoughts like that. Smartest person I ever worked with, yet he kept being overlooked by everyone. I kept telling them I didn't do it alone, but...'
'Almost sounds like you like him.' Viktor joked.
But then Jayce said this: 'I did.'
What? The revelation hit Viktor like a ton of bricks.
Jayce liked him too. In a romantic sense.
Sure, there were these moments when they'd just stare at each other during the late nights when they got their hands on some alcohol, and he'd catch that little look in Jayce's eyes that made his heart flutter and think that maybe, maybe he had hope. But it was just the gin, or sleep deprivation, or the completely platonic admiration between each other as colleagues. At least, that's what he'd tell himself.
'Never got to tell him. Then there was the whole Zaunite revolution and House Medarda's forces, it- it didn't end well. For either of us. But I'm alive, and so are you, and as far as I know, he's not. So... yeah.'
Understatment.
After a long silence and a moment of contemplation, Jayce made an offer. 'I'll make you a bet.'
'A bet?'
'If you cannot at least crawl to me in however long it takes to shift this debris, I will give you 20 silver cogs. If you can, I'll give you ten when we get out of here.'
'20 silver- have you gone mad, Jayce?!'
Jayce? Jayce? Jayce? His words echoed around the space.
'I never said my name was Jayce.'
Oh. Shit.
Viktor grappled for an explanation. He put on his calmest voice, despite his mind racing and said voice sounding terrible.
'Are you not? There were whispers in Piltover, near the Academy. Man of Progress and Piltover's Golden Boy, Jayce Talis, creator of Hextech had chosen a weak Zaunite for a lab partner. And it would make sense, since you said you had seen the blueprints for the Hexgates. You also have the money to place a 20 silver bet.'
Jayce just stared at him. And stared. And stared some more.
'It's difficult to take you seriously when you're lying still on the ground, nearly nude.'
'I'm what?'
'It may be dark but I can tell by your silhouette that you're not wearing much. Just some kind of cloak. Scarf. Shawl.'
Ah. Yes. The last clothes he was wearing weren't much to look at. Didn't much matter when you're unmoving skin pulled tight over a skeleton, floating in the ether.
But there was potential for humour in this. And distraction. Jayce having spoken fondly of Viktor to a stranger doesn't always mean the sentiments would be repeated to his face.
So instead he said, 'I will take your bet.'
Jayce got started on the rubble.
'It's the full stuff, too. None of that holes-in-the-coin business.'
Slowly, Viktor started to wiggle his fingers. He expected rods of pain to shoot down his arms, but nothing came.
He flexed his wrists. Nothing.
He started to laugh.
Elbows, fine. Toes, ankles, knees, completely pain free. Viktor was hysterical at this point.
'Are you okay?' Jayce asked, snapping him out of it.
'I'm completely fine.' Viktor couldn't beleive it. Doing any of this before... well... before would have had tears streaming down his face, crying out in agony.
He sat up. He breathed. His airways no longer gave him hell for trying to stay alive, his heartbeat wasn't pounding in his ears, and his mind was completely clear instead of clouded every waking minute with pure pain pain pain pain pai-
'You're sure? 'Cause you sound surprised.' Jayce asked again
'Yes. In fact, I think I can help you with that blockage.'
Viktor carefully bent his knees and, using his arms, lifted himself into a crouch.
He stood up. So far, so good. He took off his shawl, wrapped it around his waist and... you can guess where else.
There. One tiny scrap of dignity restored.
He took a step. And another, but his foot slipped and he toppled over towards the ground. He thought he was going to break something, but instead he crashed into Jayce.
'Ow.'
'Sorry. My balance is still... eh... not good.'
'Evidently. Oh, here.' Jayce held something out in his hands.
'What is it?'
'Clothes from a dead body.'
'What?!' Viktor stumbled back, tripping over again and landing on his butt with a thmp.
'I was about to set it alight to make a fire, but then you woke up. I got it from Salo.'
'S-salo?'
Oh. Right. Salo's dead.
'Yeah, the Councilman. He died down here. He had... uhh... a tunic and some shorts. Really drape-y looking stuff, but more substantial than- that.'
'Wow, thanks, I'm flattered.' Viktor deadpanned. But he did take the clothes, put them on and start digging through the rubble.
As the two of them worked in silence, Viktor's curiosity slowly got the better of him. 'Tell me more about your lab partner. Viktor, right?'
'Well, he was smart, funny- in fact when we almost got caught in the academy by Councilwoman Medarda the night we created Hextech, the first thing he said was "this isn't my bedroom.", as if me and him were going to- you know.'
'Oh!' Viktor laughs. He remembers doing that. It came out so smoothly meanwhile he was internally wishing for death.
'Yeah, we joked about that too many times than I can remember.' Jayce went on and on about how wonderful Viktor was, and how they believed that Hextech could help people and save lives. Hearing Jayce talk about him like that gave him hope that maybe he wasn't going to be punched in the face as soon as Jayce sees him in proper light.
As the last rock tumbled away from the two men, Jayce poked his head through the small hole. As predicted, the tunnel out was mainly unscathed. He went through, then helped Viktor out.
'What would happen,' Viktor asked, suddenly nervous, 'If your friend is found alive, like you?'
Jayce took a moment to think. 'He'd probably be arrested.'
Viktor stopped walking, just before a beam of sunlight streaming in from a crack hit him, letting Jayce see who he was. 'And he'd be sentenced with?'
'I don't know. I don't know the extent of what he did, how many people died, if any, how many families broken up, how many hospital visits, I-' Jayce's words caught in his throat and he clenched his hands into fists so hard his knuckles went white. 'I don't want to think about it. I don't even know who'd trial him, if it would be the council or if that's been abolished, or if they'd even let me on the council due to my... attachment to him.'
Jayce angrily kept walking, unaware of Viktor having stopped moving.
'What if-'
'Leave it.'
'You find him.'
'I said leave... it...' As Viktor's words finally reached his head, he slowed down, then finally came to a standstill, looking back at the stranger in the shadows. 'What did you say?'
'What if you're the one to find him. And you're both alone. And you have no clue about the world outside, just what happened before the gl- before you woke up. Will you still arrest him?' Viktor wanted to know. He had to know. For his own safety.
'I...'
Jayce was questioning why this stranger was asking so many questions about his lab partner, and why he kept phrasing things in the present tense, as if Viktor was still alive. He racked his brain over so many possibilities, before finally listening to the one single thought that had been itching at the back of his mind since he woke up:
He is. He is still alive. Like me.
And, developing from that:
And he's right there.
The larger man let out a small gasp, his eyes widening. How could he have been so stupid? The way he said his name so casually, how Jayce even said they were similar.
'I would tell you...'
Viktor flinched, like a teenager being caught sneaking around somewhere.
'...to step into the light so that I can see you properly, Viktor.'
The smaller one did as he was told, heartbeat pounding on his chest, arms dangling freely. He stepped forward, blinking at the change in brightness.
Jayce walked over. Viktor stood stock still.
'And I'd say that he has dust in his hair...' Jayce reached out and tousled said hair, shaking off teeny bits of debris from Viktor's hair. Viktor swatted his hand away, annoyed, doing the rest himself.
'...Plus a bit on his face.'
At this, Viktor just gave Jayce a grumpy look.
'I deserve that.' Jayce amended. 'And I'd point out that that the Viktor I know and lo- mng- isn't usually so scared of punishment.'
'Yeah, well, the Viktor you know and love isn't supposedly a criminal who could be swarmed by a dozen enforcers as soon as he's seen up there. And the- the Jayce who I know and love- and I do, um, love him- uh...' Viktor quickly looked Jayce up and down for something to take a dig at. '...He didn't need a haircut. And a shave.'
It was now Jayce's turn for a grumpy look.
'And he wasn't a hypocrite either, meanwhile you've got a whole terrarium in terms of dust in that... thing.' Viktor quickly added, taking the liberty of tossing about Jayce's overgrown hair.
'Hey! You also need a haircut.'
'Good luck finding someone who wouldn't report me to the police instead.' Viktor meant it to be humorous. It ended up decidedly not.
Both of them fell silent, staring at each other, millions of thoughts and feelings swirling around in their heads. Admiration, Fear, Anger, Joy, Guilt, Confusion. All of them clear to see in each other's eyes. They're both tired. They're both feeling weak.
Jayce lunges forward and wraps Viktor in a hug, resting his head between his (lab) partner's neck and shoulder so he doesn't see him cry. He doesn't realise Viktor is doing the same.
Meanwhile, Viktor's legs, although now completely fine, aren't used to balancing without a cane, or supporting his whole weight. His knees buckled and he fell, taking Jayce down with him with a yelp.
In the split second between losing the battle against gravity and hitting the floor, Viktor found himself being pulled around and hugged (even tighter) to Jayce's chest.
They hit the floor. Very hard. Jayce takes most of the force and ends up with most of the wind knocked out of his lungs. Viktor is unscathed, although Jayce has forgotten to stop clutching him against his chest. The only noise for a while is Jayce's pained 'Ow.'
'Why did you do that?' Viktor mumbles against the larger man's chest. He though Jayce would hate him. Expected it, even. The fact that Jayce would wrap himself around Viktor to take the fall instead of him- it's confusing. And annoying, because any other time, Viktor would think it was sweet. Except Jayce is doing all of these things when they know as soon as they leave they'll be separated. 'I would have been fine, I'm not wea-' He stops himself. Reconsiders. 'Not that weak anymore.'
'Tell that to your leg.'
'Nothing is wrong with my leg, I'm just not used to putting so much weight on it and my balance is off, because previously i couldn't. Habit. It's completely justified.'
'I never said it wasn't justified.'
'You're changing the subject.'
'I suppose I am.'
There was even more silence. Not the comfortable or funny kind of silence. Instead, it was a more... irritated kind of silence. But Viktor still lay on top of Jayce, even though he had now relaxed his grip.
'So... what happens when we get back up there?'
'I have a mental list of things you should do, but that just applies to your health, not the... legal situation. I don't know much about that. But if I'm allowed to contribute to proceedings, I'll do my best to get you the fairest sentence I can.'
'I appreciate it. But if I am honest, I feel like anything they give me is justified. The council's trials are mainly public, and if I am... eh... let off... there may be public outcry. No matter the physical state of Piltover and Zaun right now, battle and war never leave people in the soundest of mental states.'
Jayce hummed in agreement. 'Who do you suppose is on the council, if there still is one?'
'Well...' Viktor thought for a second. 'One way to find out.'
He ever-so-steadily gets to his feet and begins to hobble out of the tunnel. Jayce quickly catches up, seemingly to catch him again if his knees buckle again.
'You're sure about this?'
'No, but I'm not giving myself time to change my mind.'
'V, you could be sentenced to death up there.'
'And I would not blame them. If that is what the council deems necessary, so be it.'
'That doesn't make it right-'
'Jayce.' Viktor stopped walking to make his point clear. 'If what I did was done by someone else. If you never knew the person who would go on to become The Herald, would you still feel like this?'
Jayce didn't know what to say to that. Viktor didn't need him to. He just resumed walking.
Viktor wove his way in and out of debris and boulders, up and up and up until finally, finally, he was staring up at the sky, gentle shades pink and purple as stars peppered the horizon. But there's something else in the sky. Little flecks coming from the bridges on the river between Piltover and Zaun. Almost like-
'Burning papers.' Jayce says from behind him, making Viktor jump.
Both of them know what the papers mean.
And there are thousands of them.
Viktor falls to his knees and cries. He knew he would at least be going away, whether it be jail time or banishment, but looking at all the people lost in front of his eyes, he knows. He just knows, he's a dead man.
'I'm sorry, Jayce. I'm so, so sorry. I- I can't- I've just- those people, I-'
'Viktor...'
'I thought I was helping people. I thought I was achieving our dream of saving lives with Hextech. I never- never thought about whether or not this was in-character for me, never realized how I kept... slipping away. I don't like who I became, Jayce. I wish I had died in the attack on the council.'
'Don't say that.'
'Why not?!'
'Because I don't know if I could live with myself if you had died. You're my lab partner. My best friend. You saved my life the night we met, in more ways than one.'
'I saved your life, yet I killed the thousands down there. Please, Jayce. I know what I have to do, and you're only making it harder. Leave. Go to your apartment, or find a friend to stay with. Caitlyn is likely to be in Piltover right now. Maybe her friend with the pink hair, just- don't watch. You won't like it.'
'I am not leaving you.'
'Yes, you will. Please, Jayce. I know you. I know you want me to stay with you, but what would that mean in the future? You would have to hide me, I could never go out without being as alert as possible, having to be careful about the company you keep. That is no way to live. Go to your friends or a tavern over the bridge while I do what I need to, I will... figure it out.'
'Figure it- what does that mean?'
'It means temporarily being given a nice minimalist metal room with a sink, toilet and pillow-less bed for a day or two to sift through what I'm going to say to the council. Pleading insanity sounds like a good idea.'
'You weren't insane th-'
'Defendant argues they were not responsible for a crime due to a mental illness or defect in reason. I worked as Heimerdinger's assistant for many years. Council business as well as the academy. I have sat in numerous trials.'
'You don't have a mental-'
'Jayce, someone exploded the council hall with us inside. That has "developing a mental illness" written all over, but that's not the grounds of insanity I was going to reason with.'
'Then what?'
'The Hexcore. Becoming the Herald, even before that, maybe since you became a counselor, I'd developed this... obsession with Hextech.'
'That doesn't mean-'
'I had started spending more nights in our lab than in my apartment, hours trying to teach it new patterns, new behaviors and I didn't notice it teaching me new behaviors, changing the way I thought, making myself think- differently.'
'Well, I never noticed-'
'Heimerdinger noticed. He saw it almost as soon as it started. But now he's gone. So is Ms. Young. That was my fault as well, and you- you will not be let in to the hearing if you are also arrested for whatever you'll do to try and stop me from turning myself in.'
Jayce stared at Viktor, weighing his options. Viktor wasn't going to budge. Jayce thought he wouldn't either, but...
'Fine.' He said, walking past Viktor. 'But I don't like any of this.'
'Neither do I.'