Chapter Text
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Jayce groaned, a sharp ache throbbing in his temples as if a herd of elephants had trampled straight over his head. He rubbed his eyes repeatedly, trying to force them open, but the air was so heavy with grime, humidity, and thick smog that he could barely keep them unslitted, peering at his surroundings through narrow glances.
Once his eyes finally adjusted to the atmosphere, he opened them wide—revealing that unique shade of hazel—and surveyed the area. His back was propped against a crumbling brick wall, damp and chipped from age and decay. Harsh neon lights radiated from above, forcing him to shield his eyes with his dusty right hand just to look up. Judging by his observations, he was tucked inside a dead-end alleyway. The corrugated tin walls were covered in messy graffiti, fading propaganda posters, and insults crudely carved with a blade. Litter coated the ground; even with a trash bin standing just five paces away, garbage overflowed and scattered far beyond it.
Before long, a faint rustling sound broke the quiet. Jayce went still, tuning his ears to locate the source. Squinting through the dim light, he realized the noise was coming directly from the garbage. A trash bin stuffed with oversized, filthy bags was swaying gently, producing a sharp, persistent rustle from within. Jayce shifted slightly to the right, leaning his head down to get a better angle, and suddenly met the gaze of a young boy.
The child was painfully thin—so frail that Jayce could see the outline of the bones in the hand resting inside the trash. His clothes were ragged and worn, clearly used for far too long. Positioned right beside him was a wooden crutch, just a little shorter than the boy's own height. Shocked by surprise, the boy froze completely, remaining rooted to the spot.
In that brief second, Jayce had just enough time to take in the small human's appearance—and there was something strikingly familiar about him. It was as if... wait.
No way.
It was him. It was …Viktor!
The boy he is seeing was literally the miniature version of his lab partner. It was so completely out of left field that Jayce had no idea how to react. Because really, who on earth accidentally time-travels into their best friend’s childhood?
For a few agonising seconds, the two of them just stared blankly at each other, plunged into a heavy, suffocating silence. Then, suddenly, Viktor snatched up a battered bag that clattered with metallic clinks—dropping a few loose nuts and bolts from its gaping tear as he shut it—and scrambled to get away as fast as his unsteady, wobbling legs could carry him.
Seeing him bolt, Jayce immediately pushed himself up, pressing his right hand against the crumbling brick wall for leverage. He brushed the dust off his clothes with quick, frantic strokes as he strode after the kid.
"Hey, hey! Wait!"
Even with a pronounced limp, the boy’s steps were rapid and desperate—so much so that for a second, Jayce almost felt like he was chasing a fully healthy child. Finally closing the distance, Jayce gently placed his right hand on the boy's shoulder.
"Aren't you exhausted carrying all those heavy scraps? Here, let me help—"
The moment Jayce reached toward the bag, which clinked with every movement, the boy jerked it back toward his chest defensively. "I don't speak with strangers," he muttered softly under his breath, not slowing his pace for even a second. Jayce froze in his tracks, slapped a hand over his face with an audible thwack, letting out a long, heavy sigh.
This was going to be way harder than he thought.
He took another quick breath, preparing to set off after the boy once more, when—
Wait. He literally…forgot about the kid. Panicking, Jayce darted back and forth, taking two quick strides forward on the assumption that Viktor had moved ahead, only to double back immediately thinking he might have doubled behind him. Suddenly, he froze. Realising that a child walking with a pronounced limp couldn't have made it that far anyway, he decided to stop rushing, take advantage of the breather, and survey his surroundings.
He had stepped out of the narrow alleyway and emerged into a bustling, open square. Soaring buildings stretched out on either side of him. Children dashed around playing tag, while women leaned out of opposite windows, calling out and chatting animatedly across the street. The magnificent architecture was draped in even more magnificent trailing vines, and the air was alive with the fragrance of flowers he had never smelled in his entire life. Of course, bright neon lights still gleamed from every corner, but the neighbourhood was filled with the warm hum of laughter and chatter. It felt less like a city square and more like stepping right into the middle of a massive family gathering.
Was this... was this actually Zaun?
The thick grime in the air from when he first opened his eyes must have been coming from a nearby workshop, because the air in the heart of the city itself was remarkably crisp and clean. Jayce honestly, truly could not believe his eyes. How on earth had this Zaun ever turned into the bleak wasteland he knew? A swift wave of memories washed over him—Silco’s reign, Shimmer, the hollowed-out people turned into unrecognisable monsters, the suffocating smog... Yet what lay before his eyes right now was nothing short of a portrait of paradise.
As Jayce stood there lost in thought, staring blankly in sheer disbelief, a wooden cane gently poked his left leg. "What are you gawking at so blankly, dear? You don't look like you're from around here—are you a tourist?" Startled, Jayce turned toward the woman at his side. She wore a pink top with white polka dots paired with wide, bluish-green culottes. The deep wrinkles across her face and hands betrayed her advanced age, and her thick glasses—easily thicker than his thumb—made her eyes look like tiny pinpricks. She was quite short, bent slightly with an age-old hunch.
"A-ah, yes! It's my first time here... I live in Piltover, actually. Just visiting a friend!"
The old woman furrowed her brows, eyeing Jayce with a long, suspicious glare. She slid her glasses down the bridge of her nose to look right over them—as if that somehow improved her vision—and slowly shook her head from side to side. "You've got a strange cluster of energy clinging to you, boy... The kind we usually only see on the dead. If you weren't standing right in front of my eyes talking to me, I'd have sworn you were a corpse!" She let out a dry chuckle, then patted her polka-dot top back into place with a small breath. "Ah, don't mind me, child. Just old age catching up with my rambling mind. But don't go standing idle right in the middle of the street; you're blocking the way. Step aside before you do your gawking!" Continuing to chuckle softly under her breath, she shuffled slowly away on her journey. Jayce stood frozen, completely unable to process what had just happened in such a short span of time. Energy? The dead? And him?Then his final moment with Viktor flashed in his mind. Right... Their very existence had been erased from reality to protect the universe from Hextech. And after that...
WAIT. HE HAD FORGOTTEN TO LOOK FOR VIKTOR!
Now, after wasting all that time, how on earth was Jayce supposed to find one tiny kid in a sprawling city—when his only real advantage had been the boy's limp?The best approach was to think like Viktor. After all, wasn't he trying to track him down? But how could someone who didn't even know where the local restaurants were in Zaun possibly guess where Viktor was heading? Jayce collapsed right onto the ground—yes, right there in the middle of the square—and buried his face in his hands. He had been thrown back into the past (or so he assumed), and he had already managed to lose the one person he knew.
Has life ever smiled upon Jayce Talis?
After nearly three hours of searching for Viktor—or rather, the kid he assumed was Viktor—Jayce’s desperate search had devolved from a brisk walk into an exhausted stumble. He was completely drained, both physically and mentally. There had been moments during this ordeal, as he stopped strangers to ask about a child they didn't know, where he genuinely questioned his own sanity.
He clearly remembered floating through space hand-in-hand with Viktor... but what had happened after that? No matter how long or hard he racked his brain, that part remained a complete blur.
Pushing forward with the last remaining thread of his strength, he stumbled into a cavernous alcove. At his feet, a pool of still water rippled with a slow, soothing rhythm, whispering soft murmurs against the stone. The atmosphere inside this cave-like sanctuary was remarkably refreshing—almost enchanting. Fluttering, moth-like creatures he had never seen even in Piltover danced through the depths of this Zaunite cavern. Unusually, the walls of the cave were a stark, gleaming white.
As Jayce tuned into his surroundings, he caught the faint sound of splashing water—and it seemed to be coming closer. Ducking behind a natural outcrop in the white cavern wall, he waited to see what was making the noise.
A minute or two passed, and the splashing grew steadily louder. Jayce pulled himself as far back into the shadows as he could, trying to stay completely hidden. If this turned into a confrontation, he had nothing to defend himself with except his bare hands.
First, a crude, handmade toy boat came gliding into view, drifting at an erratic pace. Right behind it was the source of the splashing: Viktor, huffing as he tried to keep up with his creation in rapid, uneven strides. Jayce wasn't sure if he would terrify the boy, but the moment he saw the toy boat drifting dangerously close to a hole,he reacted on pure instinct. Leaping out from his hiding spot with surprising agility, he snatched the boat right out of the water just before it plummeted into the dark hole.
Turning around with the toy safe in hand, Jayce found Viktor standing there, taking rapid, shallow, ragged breaths. Seeing his best friend in such a frail, sickly state even as a young child finally made Viktor's guarded demeanour with Hextech click into place for Jayce—or at least, as much as it possibly could.Step by gentle step, Jayce approached the boy. He carefully placed a hand around Viktor's arm to steady him—surprisingly, the child didn't pull away this time—and helped him sit down on a flat, smooth rock. Jayce took the makeshift wooden cane into his own hand and gently offered the toy boat back to him.
The boy took the boat from Jayce's hand with a shy, hesitant touch, slowly tilting his head up to meet his eyes. Viktor opened his mouth as if to say something, but closed it just as quickly. Retracting his hand with the toy held tight against his chest, he took a moment to catch his breath.
Jayce crouched on the ground beside him, crossing his legs comfortably. After a few minutes of quiet resting, a tiny murmur broke the silence from the boy's side. Jayce snapped his head toward him instantly. "Did you say something? Sorry, I didn't quite catch that." He forced the warmest, most reassuring smile he could muster, silently encouraging the child to speak. Against his pale skin, a bright, noticeable blush crept across Viktor's cheeks. After a brief pause, he murmured a little louder this time. "Thank you." Jayce let out a long, relieved sigh. Finally—a shred of communication! Keeping his warm grin fixed and maintaining gentle eye contact, Jayce replied, "You're very welcome. I'd have hated to see such a well-crafted boat get ruined." Viktor, who had been staring fixatedly at his own knees, whipped his head up at Jayce's words. His eyes widened, his pupils dilating as the flush on his cheeks deepened even further. "T-thank you." As hard as Jayce tried to maintain his friendly, patient persona, a small flicker of irritation began to itch at him due to Viktor's stubbornly quiet nature. "Y'know, there are other things to say besides 'thank you'—" His sentence was cut short as Viktor added softly, clearly finishing the thought he hadn't quite gotten out before:"I made it myself. All by myself." Jayce paused for a second or two, caught off guard by the awkwardness of being interrupted, before the boy's words fully registered. He took another look at the toy boat and noticed that, unlike ordinary toys, it featured a tiny, intricate propulsion mechanism made from salvaged gears. The sail appeared to be cut from the lightest fabric available, attached with an exceptionally clever knotting technique. "Wow... that’s genuinely impressive. If you hadn't told me, I would've assumed an adult helped you build it." In truth, Jayce had initially wondered if his parents had helped him. But remembering their past late-night conversations where Viktor had never once mentioned his family, Jayce decided it was best not to bring up the topic, wanting to avoid touching a delicate subject. The boy's eyes flared with a sudden bright spark. It was the very first time Jayce had seen someone laugh purely with their eyes, even while their lips remained still. "We haven't had a proper introduction yet. My name is Jayce. What's yours?" Jayce offered, taking the best approach he could think of.
"I'm... V-Viktor. My name is Viktor."
Hearing the boy confirm it out loud sent Jayce's eyes wide. He had suspected the uncanny resemblance, but having it verified directly felt surreal. Truly... like, TRULY, somehow he had traveled back in time, and fate had dropped him right onto Viktor's doorstep. Meeting and talking to a childhood version of his best friend was mind-boggling.
Back when they were developing Hextech—before Jayce got tangled up in Council politics—they had pulled an all-nighter in the lab and joked about what would happen if their younger selves ever met. They had both agreed that young Jayce would be an over-enthusiastic bundle of energy trying to make friends, while young Viktor would be an unyielding brick wall who wouldn't know how to react. And now, even though Jayce wasn't a kid anymore, he was standing right in front of a young Viktor.
Seeing Jayce's eyes nearly popping out of his head, little Viktor tilted his head innocently to the side, observing him with curious eyes as if trying to figure out the sudden shock. "It’s just... the name of an old friend of mine. Surprised me a little to hear it again, to be honest," Jayce offered, pulling up what he considered a perfect, reassuring grin—which Viktor actually found hilariously awkward, struggling to keep a straight face.
After a long moment of awkwardly looking around and glancing at each other, the sky outside began to darken into dusk. "Don't you need to head home, kid? It's probably not very safe for a child to be out here alone at this hour, hm?" Viktor stared at Jayce for a second or two before nodding gently in agreement. He grabbed his cane from the ground and pushed himself up to walk. Holding the toy boat in his free hand made balancing noticeably harder for him.
Jayce immediately stood up, caught up to little Viktor, and in one swift movement, lifted him by the waist and set him comfortably atop his shoulders. The boy gasped in surprise, having his cane gently taken from his grip as well. “Wrap your hands around my neck and hold on tight, okay? You just give me the directions, and I'll carry you there," Jayce said. After a few quiet murmurs of resistance, the child gave in and began directing the way with short, simple instructions.
About fifteen minutes later, they arrived at the destination the boy had guided him to. Jayce gently lowered Viktor back down to the ground and handed back his cane. The place was a small, corrugated-metal home, its exterior coated in layers of dust and colorful graffiti. The boy shuffled toward the door and, with a few swift, practiced motions of his small hands, unlocked it.
The door didn't use a standard key; instead, it opened via a custom-built mechanical locking mechanism. Jayce immediately suspected this, too, was Viktor's creation. Once the door swung open and the child stepped inside, he turned back to face the adult he had met just a few hours prior. "Do you have a place to stay?" It was one of the few full sentences that had escaped the boy's lips all evening. Jayce paused for a moment. He had nowhere to stay—at least not right now. The only people he knew were up in Piltover, and heading up there didn't seem like a wise idea at the moment. Besides, he didn't have a single coin to pay for lodging. (After all, nobody thinks to bring pocket change when accidentally time-traveling.) Jayce slowly shook his head from side to side, signaling a clear 'no.' "I'm not from around here. I came from a long way away... and I don't have any money left," he admitted, unable to come up with a better excuse.
The boy scanned him up and down quickly, then pushed the door open a little wider. To be completely honest, Jayce was surprised by how quickly Viktor had let his guard down around him. Either his own communication skills were so top-notch that he had won the kid over effortlessly, or this child seriously lacked basic stranger-danger protocols. Regardless, since the outcome worked heavily in his favor, Jayce didn't question it and took quiet, careful steps inside.
The interior of the house was surprisingly far nicer than its exterior. The kitchen merged seamlessly into the living space, with two additional doors leading off to what were presumably a bedroom and a washroom. Everything was neatly in its place—far from the chaotic mess Jayce had half-expected. The rugs featured deep shades of red and blue, while the curtains were a lovely hue of green. The overall interior was unexpectedly vibrant and full of color.
Jayce headed straight toward the kitchen area. After washing his hands, he set about preparing dinner. He hadn't explicitly asked for the child's permission, but he doubted anyone would complain about a cooked meal. Who turns down free food? Though Jayce would never claim to be a master chef, he abided by the simple rule: food is food, as long as it fills the stomach.
He peered inside the surprisingly half-full icebox to check the ingredients. What did Viktor actually like to eat? Viktor had always disliked most of the dishes Jayce devoured with enthusiasm. But Jayce suddenly recalled a late-night chat where they had sampled various Zaunite dishes together, and Viktor had genuinely enjoyed a specific local soup. He couldn't quite remember if it was an appetizer or a main course, but after reflecting a bit more, he realized it was the exact same fish soup Caitlyn had mentioned as Violet's personal favorite.
Trying to piece together what Cait had once described, Jayce did his best to whip it up. After an exhausting 45-minute cooking session—which really shouldn't have been that tiring, yet somehow was—he divided the meal into two bowls and set them down on the low coffee table between the two couches. He felt like in another life he must have been a culinary genius, because the portion turned out to be literally two exact bowls. Chef’s kiss.
Stepping out from the washroom, Viktor quietly shuffled over to Jayce's side, picked up the spoon laid out for him, and began eating immediately. After his very first spoonful, his eyes widened in delight. He turned to Jayce with a look of pure joy, beaming while chewing his food rapidly. Turning back to his bowl, he began devouring the soup at an impressive speed—so fast that Jayce held his breath just to make sure the kid wouldn't choke. "Hey, hey... slow down, you're gonna choke!" Jayce chuckled softly, pouring half of his own bowl into the boy's already empty dish. "I'm not that hungry anyway. Looks like you need it way more." Viktor let out a tiny, rare giggle and dove back into his food.
Once both bowls were clean, Jayce stood up to wash the dishes. Setting his empty bowl on the kitchen counter, Viktor murmured, "It was amazing. Thank you." Before Jayce could even reply, the boy quickly retreated to his bedroom to hide his reddening cheeks. Left standing by the sink, an uncontrollable, fond smile tugged at the corners of Jayce's lips as he quietly returned to cleaning up.
~
After finishing the dishes and drying his hands, Jayce slowly collapsed onto the living room couch. Stretching his legs out, he tucked a small cushion underneath them, only now realizing the full weight of his exhaustion after a relentless day of running around.
Just as he was settling in, settling back to drift off to sleep, a large black plastic bag sitting in the corner of the room caught his eye. It looked just like the bag Viktor had been lugging around when Jayce first spotted him.
Pushing himself up from the couch, Jayce walked over to the bag, untying its knot with quick, nimble fingers to peer inside. Bolts, screws, gears of every size, broken metal scraps, discarded junk components... Even though he knew these had been salvaged from the trash, as his fingers touched the pieces, it was clear from their texture and clean scent that they had been meticulously scrubbed.
Holding the bag open with his left hand, Jayce reached deeper with his right and pulled out a large, intricate gear. Just as he began examining it, a tiny hand reached in and plucked the component right out of his grip.
The young man and the boy—a child half his size—stared at each other in brief silence. Pulling an apologetic, gentle expression, Jayce offered softly, "Sorry about that... you've gathered quite an impressive collection here. I just couldn't help myself." The boy rotated the gear in his small hands for a moment before looking back up at him. "I... I like machine parts. My father taught me things about them." At the mention of the word 'father', Jayce immediately searched the boy's face, studying his subtle micro-expressions, but found no discernible trace of emotion. He was dying to ask what his father did for a living, how they spent time together, and where he was right now—and if it weren't for his concern over little Viktor's emotional well-being, he would have asked already. "So, what do you do with all these parts?" Jayce added gently. "You could say I'm something of an engineer myself; I know my way around mechanics. If you'd like to show me what you're working on, I'd love to take a look, Viktor."
The child began hopping up and down with tiny, ecstatic bounces. It was the very first time Jayce had seen him this visibly excited, letting his emotions bleed through so openly. "They're all in my room! Come look," the boy laughed, wrapping his tiny hand around Jayce's fingers and tugging him along toward his bedroom.
Even though Jayce was practically ready to pass out from sheer exhaustion, he couldn't bear to miss witnessing his best friend's genuine eagerness and his very first steps on the path to becoming a scientist. Rubbing his sleepy eyes with his free hand to stay awake, he let himself be pulled along into the room.
~