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Jayce was pacing back and forth in the lab tossing a metallic dodecahedron cage in the air back and forth between his hands. He rambled mindlessly about the upcoming Piltover Houses’ Midsummer Dance. His anxiety spilling over in every word and movement.
“Am I supposed to ask the girl or did I have to wait for them to ask me?” He paused, his hands running over the framework of the metal orb. “If I have to ask, then do I ask Caitlyn or Mel? Can I even ask someone who's not on the council? I mean it likely doesn't matter, but would Caitlyn even go out with me? Ok, so I'll ask Mel, but what if she turns me down too? What if Caitlyn was going to go with me, but got upset because I asked Mel first and not her. Then I end up going with no one. And I can't look unwanted especially ever since ‘the incident’ most of high society still thinks I should have had some other punishment beyond having been expelled. Mother would always say, even when we were barely getting by, ‘A Talis can't look abandoned or weak in society lest the wolves amongst them decide to take us down.’” Jayce paused, his frantic movements suddenly stilled. Gulping in horror at his pretend scenario, he suddenly started twisting his hands around the metal orb, pushing and pulling at the framework.
Viktor looked up in time to see the framework start to stress. He sighed as he hurriedly got up and hobbled over without his crutch to save the precious dodecahedron cage from destruction by Jayce's hands.
“Jayce.” Viktor tapped the back of Jayce's hand and then held out his own.
“Huh?” Jayce paused and glanced at Viktor's hand.
Viktor gently grabbed at the dodecahedron cage as Jayce let go of it.
“I understand your anxiety Jayce, but I would be grateful, if you didn't destroy our only cage for the hex crystal whilst mulling between various rejection scenarios that are highly unlikely to happen given your formidable popularity amongst the general population.” Jayce simply stared at Viktor as if he had grown two heads as he processed what his friend had said.
“Ha! I forget how little you care about socializing sometimes, V." Jayce ran a hand through his hair as Viktor simply shrugged in reply as he limped back to his spot at the lab table. “Yes, I have lots of people who are friendly with me. But just because they may like me ‘as a fellow noble' doesn't mean they wish to date me V.”
Viktor sat down and picked up the amplifier where he had been carefully welding two delicate pieces of copper wire together. He started to pick up the soldering iron and then set it back down. He turned back to Jayce on the stool. “I still fail to see a problem. You need only have some, hm —what is the word?" He clicked his tongue as he suddenly remembered. "Ah, yes—A vacuous and pretty thing upon your arm for one event.” He waved his hand idly up and down in the direction of Jayce’s body. “I predict your good looks and family name are enough to see you through this issue were it to be known amongst the students that you are looking for a date for that evening.” He turned back to the table and picked up the amplifier and iron. “Aren't you friends with that talkative Torek boy? He seems to love to gossip about inane things like the relationship status of nobles. Have him help you find you—what is that Piltoverian phrase? Hmmm, arm décor?”
“Arm candy,” Jayce helpfully supplied.
“Candy on your arm? Decoration would make more sense. Such a strange phrase.” Viktor pushed his safety goggles up to the top of his head and rubbed his chin in thought before shaking his head and resuming his prior conversation. “Nonetheless, recruit the Torek boy to help you find the ‘arm candy.’ Viktor starts to turn back to the table on his stool, hand at his goggles to move them back in place; when Jayce grabs his arm mid-motion, stopping his arm
“Viktor, did you forget, that a year ago I accidentally blew up my dorm room —from an illegal project? I would've been banished if it hadn't been for my mom, you, and Mel standing up for me. Well that, and we managed to make the HexTech connection, though only after we got caught breaking into Heimerdinger's lab.” Jayce chuckled fondly at the memory of them floating on the ceiling when they were found out. His smile drooped as he waved a hand returning to back to the topic at hand. “Regardless of our success that night, they still had to vacate and rebuild that whole dormitory due to the structural damage. Yes, we have had some small successes in utilizing the potential for HexTech, however I am still very much persona-non-grata to most of the noble families. Caitlyn's family even forced her to stop hanging out with me after I was expelled from the Academy. We had been childhood friends for years! It was only in the last couple of months that her family has relented and let us associate openly again because of the minor accolades we have received for our HexTech research.” Jayce heaved a big sigh in frustration.
“Nonetheless, women historically have some preference for the handsome troublemaker, no?” Which would be you, my friend. I continue to doubt your belief that you, Jayce Talis,” Viktor pointed emphatically in Jayce's direction, “would have difficulty finding a woman for one night.” Satisfied in his assessment, Viktor pulled his safety goggles back down over his eyes and turned back to the project on the table in front of him.
“Now then, can you finish cutting those wire segments I will need shortly?” He waved the soldering iron in the general direction of Jayce's empty station at the table where a large spool of copper wire and wire cutters sat waiting.
Jayce sighed as he sat down and picked up a ruler, measured some wire and cut it before heaving another deep sigh and spinning round on his stool to face Viktor. “You don't understand V. For most events, it would be fine if it was just anybody, but this is THE Midsummer Dance.”
“I still fail to see the significance of one dance Jayce.” Viktor replied as he continued soldering the wire to the circuit board.
“It's a Talis family belief that whomever you take and dance with at the Midsummer Dance when you are 25 will be the one. My father, my grandfather, even my great grandfather all danced with their future wife at Midsummer in their 25th year.”
Jayce came over to Viktor and got done on one knee next to his stool. He clasped his hands, looking at Viktor, begging him to understand. “Don't you see now? It can't be just anyone that I take. My future love life is on the line here. So who do I ask, Caitlyn or Mel? Who could you see me marrying?” Jayce bit at his thumb in anxiety, nibbling at the nail as he got up and started pacing the room mumbling to himself about various characteristics in the positive and negative for each woman.
Exasperated Viktor again set down the amplifier and carefully returned the iron to its stand and flicked it off. It was doubtful he was going to get anymore soldering done when his partner hadn't cut any more wire for him to solder with and likely wouldn't this evening. He sighed as he removed his safety goggles tossing them towards an empty spot on the table. “Jayce, if I am not mistaken, Miss Kiramman’s family's dislike of you aside—” Viktor stated, while thinking to himself, —and she’s too young— without missing a beat he continued, “did you not say a week ago that she is currently seeing one of the Ferros sisters?” Jayce nodded in assent. Viktor continued, “Well then, surely, they are already planning on attending together, though you may still ask her out of politeness, but it is highly likely she will turn you down.” Jayce sighed dejectedly.
Viktor pressed on, "Now then, Miss Medarda, I believe is currently scheduled to be out of the city then. As our sponsor, it is her job to engage in trade negotions for more of the hex crystals we so desperately need. Thus whether one of them eventually becomes the future Mrs Talis is moot at this point. So whomever else you ask, they are highly unlikely to “be the one" and all this,” Viktor rolled his hand dismissively, “family mythos about one dance is unnecessary pressure that you are adding to an inconsequential social event. Likely your predecessors were already dating the women they took to the dance. I also seem to recall Professor Heimerdinger telling me that two generations ago, it was common for the Piltover nobility to arrange the marriages of all their progeny as children.” Viktor stood up grabbing his cane and tapping it on the floor twice the way someone might slap their lap before getting up. He walked over to Jayce laying his hand on his shoulder as he looked him in the eye, “I am not even invited, but as a Talis you will still have future dances to dance with your Mrs. Talis. Let's leave all this superstition behind, aye? I would like my lab partner back.”
Multiple times Jayce looked like he wanted to interject, but he could only nod in the face of Viktor's relentless logic until something Viktor said seemed to catch his interest. He suddenly interjected, “You weren't invited?”
Viktor rolled his eyes and removed his hand from Jayce's shoulder waving it at his torso and legs. “I don’t belong to a noble house.”
“But, surely as the other half of HexTech.”
Viktor shook his head no. He still hadn't received an invite.
“But what about when you were Professor Heimerdinger's assistant? Wouldn't he have taken you with him? I know he gets invited every year as the head of the Piltover Academy.”
“This body is hardly built for walking let alone dancing even if he had offered Jayce.”
“But the music, the food, the dresses, it’s not fair that you won't experience that! Even if you sit by the wall to just observe, or we could get a rolling chair, or…” Viktor placed his hand on Jayce's chest shaking his head as he stopped him.
“Jayce, whilst I appreciate your enthusiasm neither of those sound very fun. I also don't like being put on display as the poor token Zaunite in their midst who only got admitted to uptown Piltover, because he was so broken he couldn't possibly be a danger. Let them gossip where I can't hear it.” Viktor's hand had twisted into Jayce's shirt pulling at a button until it nearly tore the strings. Suddenly he realized what he was doing and dropped his hand, taking a deep breath he turned away from Jayce to regain his composure.
Jayce walked up behind him and grabbed his shoulders. He burrowed his forehead into curls at the back of Viktor's head. “Viktor I'm sorry. I forget that you still deal with all that prejudice against Zaunites when I am not around.”
Viktor gave a sad chuckle. “Yes, even now your mishap a year ago seems to still draw their taunts and rancor more so than the forgettable Zaunite cripple next to you.”
Jayce mumbled into Viktor's hair, “Glad to know my biggest failure was good for something.”
Viktor reached up his right hand and laid it over Jayce's hand on his left shoulder. He lightly patted it. “I think it also brought me you, did it not? I couldn't ask for a better partner for my endeavors.”
Jayce’s hands fell to his side as Viktor turned back to face him. Viktor reached up to ruffle the top of Jayce's hair. He had let it grow out in a longer style from when they first met. Internally Viktor noted once again how he much preferred the longer length. He thinks it's because he prefers the feel of Jayce's soft waves between his fingers versus the prickly nearly buzzed hair whenever he needs to comfort his friend in this manner. To be honest, when it comes to displays of comfort in words or physical displays of affection, Jayce was naturally much more skilled than Viktor. As an orphan, Viktor had never grown up receiving any comfort or affection. Though he can't say he suffered much under the loss of it, as say a child of Jayce's personality might have had, given that his own personality was one where he never felt the need to seek out nor give physical affection or words of comfort. Not until he started working with Jayce that is. He prides himself on his ongoing efforts in learning a new form of interaction as he hears Jayce sigh and then feels him shift to embrace him in a hug. Viktor's hand moves with Jayce's head coming to hold it from behind as Jayce moves to rest his forehead on Viktor's shoulder. He mumbles into Viktor's shoulder, “I couldn't ask for anyone better either. Don't ever leave me, OK? Even if you get famous and married.”
Viktor quietly replied, “Death will likely take me first.”
Jayce stood up and held Viktor at arm's length looking at him in shock. “Wh, why would you say that?!”
Viktor shrugged, “Jayce you know my disease is progressing quickly. It is unlikely I will live to see another decade pass. So I wish to come as close as I can to pushing the limits on the integration of magic and technology by using the hex crystals before my time ends. Even so, it is unlikely that we will succeed in making our hexgates more than a theory in my lifetime. So no, I won't leave you. At least not because of an imaginary marriage or fame. But death?" Viktor shook his head sadly. "THAT, I can do nothing about."
Jayce pulled him into the tightest bear hug. “I hate when you talk like that. I refuse to let you die on me V. I can't do this without you.”
Viktor reached up the best he could with both arms pinned and patted Jayce's elbow. “I wouldn't have taken you on as my research partner two years ago, if I hadn't been confident that you could continue on without me and see our dream to reality Jayce.”
Jayce responded by pulling him in tighter and tucking Viktor’s head under his chin. Viktor could feel a slight tremble in Jayce's body as he held him close. Viktor tentatively reached around Jayce enclosing him in a hug of his own with his crutch clasped tight against Jayce's back. “Perhaps we should call it a night, Jayce,” he murmured.
After a moment Jayce released him nodding. Viktor placed his crutch back underneath his arm and moved to pack up his few items into his satchel. He glanced up every little bit watching as Jayce went around their lab putting things away and turning off equipment. Viktor nodded when Jayce finally asked him, “Ready to go?”
At Viktor's nod, Jayce flicked out the light and locked the door before they turned and left the lab. As they walked down the street Viktor noted that the moonless evening sky was clear and a beautiful tableau of a galaxy of stars could be seen twinkling in the indigo sky like crystals on the train of a noblewoman's gown. Well at least Viktor imagined it did, after all he hadn't ever been to any fancy events to see the gowns and suits of the nobility to test his comparative hypothesis. He thought back to how distraught Jayce seemed that he had never been invited to such an event. It honestly had never bothered him, though it might be nice to experience such a thing, just once, if Jayce were to be at his side.
Ah, what nonsense. He must be exhausted from all of Jayce's pratterings on about that dance. He shook such frivolous thoughts from his head as he shifted his focus instead to navigating the dimly lit cobblestone path ahead of them. And if Jayce's hand lingered at his back on the pretense of steadying him as they walked along the street; Viktor chose, just this once, not to remind Jayce that the gesture was unnecessary.