Chapter Text
Viktor, like all the children in his area, did not have much growing up in the undercity. It was simply him and his father in a tiny apartment from the time he could remember.
Logically he knew his mother had been around until she died when he had seen two turns around the sun, but he could not recall what she looked like or even what she died of. His father would hand Viktor the small necklace from the secret compartment in the bed frame when he asked the alpha about her- a golden cord locket with a tiny print of a photo inside of his parents. He could see she had been long limbed like he would later be himself but her eyes and features beyond the sharp cheekbones and pointed chin were lost. Even as a child, his father would say he looked like her. He supposed this was correct as beyond his hair and eye color he looked nothing like his alpha father, a muscular man with a large jaw, distinct large and bumped nose, and bushy eyebrows.
For the first several years of his life, Viktor only knew the tiny apartment and what knowledge he had of the outside world came from looking out the small dirty window in his father’s room and a beta neighbor. The neighbor had been a friend of his mother and would check on him occasionally throughout the day when his father was at work.
One day his father returned from a job topside with a large book on engineering and physics as a gift for his small pup. It had been full of blueprints on airships and other wonders those topside took for granted. As his father continued to work topside for many months after he was presented with the book, Viktor theorized either his father had been given the book by one of the professors at the Academy who loved to share knowledge or he had stolen it from one the massive private libraries of a Piltover gentleman who likely had bought it and others solely for aesthetics.
Viktor loved to run his fingers over the various drawings- tracing the lines of an airship, a gramophone, a boat. At night, he asked his father for help reading the words in the book until he eventually could read the information by himself. He wondered about the scale of them and imagined how many people could fit inside an airship, how loud a gramophone could be, and what large bodies of water looked like.
Then it happened. His father did not return home one night when Viktor was six. He would later learn there was a boating accident at the docks and his father had gone with other construction workers to assist in getting the people trapped inside the hulls out. One of the pulleys constructed to assist them had snapped and flung his father into the water against a boat with force. He never resurfaced.
Viktor waited three days before he was brave enough to open the apartment door. By then, he was incredibly hungry and just called weakly for his papa until someone noticed his pitiful presence. The next few days passed in a blur of changing hands- sometimes, the hands were rough as they lifted his head and, sometimes, they were gentle comforts running through his hair and pressing him against their chest. He remembered the air being especially thick then but was unsure if it was the area he had been placed in or his constant tears. In the end, all Viktor had was the gold necklace tucked between the two shirts he wore and the book of blueprints.
After a month, Viktor was sent to a workhouse for undercity orphans as his leg prevented him from working in the mines. Here his small fingers first started to assemble machine parts, the gears and metal quickly mapping how they worked in his brain. In a month, he had improved a small design for a microscope that allowed for a clearer picture and magnification. The head of the workhouse, of course, took credit for his work. So, he was placed on a different machine assembly line. He again improved a design and his credit was stolen from him. Again, he was moved. If he refused, he was beaten and in sharp pain for a week. This lasted for two years before Viktor snuck out during the night.
At age eight, Viktor found refuge on the promenade level within an abandoned water plant. He still had his locket, his battered book, and now a blanket and battered toolkit stolen from the workhouse. Inside, he found an office with a usable door, a slightly scuffed desk, and a sink with clear, running water. It was cold at night but the blanket did the trick for now. During the day, he would rummage through the various piles of abandoned things. First, he focused on material for a cane. Once he had assembled it, he focused on parts for miniature machines. For food, he could do small tasks like carrying flour on a small wagon from the nearby dock to the baker. He made sure to stay out of sight of the vague silhouette of enforcers after being warned by one of the workers they had heard they were looking for a runaway.
At nine, Viktor had assembled a miniature version of a boat in his book and decided to test it in the small creek under the abandoned water plant. He never anticipated it would bring him to a new family.
----
It was the third time he’d made the tiring trek to the creek to test his boat when it drifted into a cave he had yet to explore. Previously, he had stopped the boat with his cane before it got too far but he had foolishly cranked the speed to show off in case the girl from earlier decided to watch him, thinking it might entice her to come down and play with him. No one ever did, even in the workhouse, but he found himself missing people. For awhile, he debated whether to call it a loss and spend another few months collecting parts to make another or retrieve it. He knew anything could lay at the bottom but there could also be nothing at all. With trepidation but wanting to find retrieve his toy, he slowly lowered himself down the opening while trying not to make a sound.
As soon as he made it to the bottom, he spotted a very tall man sitting on a rock looking at something in his hands. Behind him lay a metal door that was open to reveal darkness beyond it. As Viktor debated what to do next, a large creature began crawling over the rock is a playful manner before turning in his direction. A piximander? He’d seen a few for sale before on the dock when offering his services to work. It had a strange color to it but maybe they came in the pink color more than the black in other regions. It seemed larger than the one’s he’s seen before.
The creature definitely had spotted him as it made a sound, backing itself up as if it was likely to pounce. The man turned slightly and Viktor drew back in panic while spotting his boat in the man’s hands. “Don’t be afraid,” the man called as he held up the toy. “You built this?”
Unable to speak in his panic, Viktor nodded his head as he noted an eye catching his slight movement before turning back to inspect his toy.
“Why aren’t you playing with the others?” the man asked. So, he had been watching him? How long?
The man turned slightly towards him, still playing with a cog on the boat. Viktor took a breath and emerged from behind the rock, gesturing slightly to his leg and cane.
The man shrugged slightly as he stated, “Loneliness is often the byproduct of a gifted mind.”
Viktor bit his lip before looking at the creature and asking, “What is it?”
The man slightly smiled. “This is Rio. She’s a rare mutation that I cultivated.” He reached into his pocket and produced one of the glowing flowers surrounding them and held it out to Viktor. “Go on.”
Against his better judgement, Viktor limped towards the man and creature. He gently took the flower and held it out to the creature. It took the offering gently from his hand with its tongue. Although slightly disgusted, he found himself amused as well.
“She’s dying.” Viktor felt his heart freeze in his chest. He just met the creature and it seemed so nice. “I’m trying to prevent that.” The man patted the creature as it settled for a small nap. “The mutation MUST survive.”
“Can… can I help?” Viktor asked as he stared at the pink mutation.
“You… you want to assist me?” the man asked gently, clearly stunned.
Viktor lowered his eyes for a moment before lifting them and shrugging.
“Very well,” the man said as he passed him his toy and placing a hand on his shoulder. Now that the man was so close, Viktor was able to breath in the soft scent of a beta. “We can be loners together.” A small smile found its way on Viktor’s face as his eyes turned hopeful. He motioned for both the creature known as Rio and the young boy to follow him into through the door. “What’s your name, young pup?”
“It’s Viktor,” the child responded.
“I’m Dr. Reveck,” the man replied. “Now tell me, what do you know about biology?”
----
Months passed as Viktor found himself often spending long hours in the dark lab of Dr. Corin Reveck, learning more and more about biological processes, chemicals, and mechanics while helping to care for Rio. Best of all, he didn’t have to do more than simple cleanup to earn food. And it was fresh food, not leftovers! One day he had a large sandwich with some fruit, the next he had pasta, and the next he had something different.
There had been a brief time when he had stayed away after finding Rio attached to machines to filter her blood. He’d run from the cave in tears but loneliness and a grumbling stomach brought him back. He thought he would be turned away but the doctor had only ruffled his hair and returned to his equations.
Unfortunately, now that he had better access to food, he found himself growing quickly out of the clothes he stole from the workhouse. The pairs of pants he’d patched and added a cloth brace to each pant leg of his crooked leg had begun digging into his hips while the shirt was digging into his forearm, leaving angry red welts at the end of the day. The vest that had been slightly loose was now tight and straining. Soon, he would need to do chores on the dock to earn enough money for a larger shirt and pair of pants.
One day when he was copying down a formula Dr. Reveck had given him to breakdown the compound into smaller compounds, Dr. Reveck had placed a hand on his shoulder before gently holding up his arm and peeling back the elastic cuff of his shirt to see the mark. “Viktor, have you told your parents you need bigger clothes?” Viktor noted the doctor didn’t say ‘new’. Most things down here were second hand.
Viktor’s eyes involuntarily widened. If the doctor knew he didn’t have parents, would he send him back to the workhouse?
He was about to shake his head when the doctor released his arm and questioned, “Viktor, do you have anyone back home?”
Unable to lie to a man who could see through him, he lowered his head.
“I see. How long have you been alone, child?” The hand on his shoulder gave a comforting squeeze.
“What day is it?” Viktor asked. Once told he whispered out a quiet, “Almost four years.”
The doctor sighed. “How old are you, child?”
“Nine… no, I’m ten now,” Viktor replied in the same quiet voice. The doctored made a small sound of acknowledgement as he nodded slightly. Both of them ignored Rio as she slowly inched towards the boy and licked his hand in comfort. Viktor absentmindedly pet her snout in thanks. “You’re not sending me back to the workhouse, are you?”
The doctor’s eyes widened in surprise. “Of course not, child.” The doctor pulled over a battered chair to the small workstation and got to eye level with him. “Now, where exactly have you been staying? Is it safe?”
“The water plant…” He didn’t know if it was safe or not. It was shelter. That’s all he knew.
The doctor nodded encouragingly. “Then we will stop there on the way back.”
“Way back?” Viktor repeated. “Way back from where?”
The doctor stood up from the share. “The Lanes. We need to get you clothes that fit. There is a nice second-hand store on Brewery Street.” The doctor scratched his chin as he looked the pup over. “I see you require a new cane. I will fashion you one myself soon.” Before Viktor could protest, Dr. Reveck gave him a hand up from his chair and propped the cane up his arm. “We will call them a late birthday present. Come now, we should get moving or it will be very dark by the time we return to retrieve your things.”
Stunned, Viktor followed him to the back of the workshop where a reinforced door sat with a pair of keys on a hook next to them. There appeared to have been windows on either side but they too were covered in thick metal.
When the doctor opened it, the pup was amazed to find they were on an upper level of the undercity. There was an old, beaten sign made of wood on a post outside the door that just barely announced: “Prosthetics and Mechanics”. A large ‘Closed’ sign stretched across the reinforced door that the doctor locked behind them. The lab had been a shop at one point?
With an encouraging hand on his shoulder, Viktor allowed himself to be led through the winding crosswalks and paths to Brewery Street ignoring the eyes in the shadows from alleys and cracked windows while trying to prevent himself from coughing at the thick, polluted air. The nearly two years on the promenade had spared his lungs and he had forgotten the smell and taste of the gases and chemicals in the undercity.
Finally, they made it to the shop. A man with red hair and a woman with deep blue looked up as the doorbell chimed and Viktor was gently maneuvered inside as the beta followed. The woman scowled at the doctor before pushing a brief splash of pink hair behind the counter down with a quick sign that Viktor guessed meant quiet. “Thought you were dead,” she practically spat.
“I’m afraid not,” the beta responded, still gripping Viktor’s shoulder. “Just here to get the pup something to wear.”
The man with the red hair was focused on Viktor, blinking like he didn’t believe what he was seeing. The woman turned her gaze on him, eyes trailing to his stomach where his shirt had begun to ride up and the length of his pants. With a sigh, she gestured to him to come towards her.
Viktor hesitated before the doctor gave him a gentle push forward. With eyes slightly lowered so as not to anger the unknown adult, he walked towards her with as much grace as one with a short cane could. Before he could react, a hand seized his chin and gently turned it upwards. “Other than the cheekbones and chin, he doesn’t look a thing like you,” the woman observed. Oh, she was an omega. Viktor hadn’t smelt the sweet smell of an omega in a long time. There had been so few at the workhouse and they disappeared as soon as they presented.
“Thank Janna for small mercies,” the red-haired man remarked as the doctor snorted in amusement. “What happened to the leg?”
“I believe it was likely a birth injury,” the doctor responded.
“You believe?” the man replied. “He isn’t yours?”
“Not biologically, but I have taken charge of his care.”
The shop-owners exchanged a look and a moment of silence stretched in the shop. After the silence, the woman simply said, “Let me see what I have in his size.” With that, Viktor was led to a small rack in the back of the store. The woman placed him against a wall out of the way as she began to pick clothes off, holding them against his body every now and then. She’d either nod and throw the piece of clothing over her shoulder or shake her head and discard them back on the rack. She was halfway through the rack when she asked him in a whisper. “You okay, kid? Singed treating you nice?”
Victor furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. “Who’s Singed?”
The woman stopped and stared at him before answering, “The crazy Piltover doctor that came in with you.”
“Dr. Reveck is nice!” Viktor protested. “He gives me food and he taught me the basic principles of science. He is so much nicer than the work…” He trailed off, his eyes going wide. “Um…”
The woman gave him a genuine smile and a pat to the head. Her scent was very calming. “That so? Better than the workhouse?”
Viktor nodded.
“I imagine so.” She tipped his head up. “Alright, kid. But if he scares you, you come find me down here.” A thought seemed to strike her and she thrust the pile of clothes on her shoulder into his free arm. “Go try these on, will you?” She pointed at a tiny little divider in the corner. “I think I might have just the thing for a science student in the back.”
Viktor was confused at the sudden change in her demeanor but hobbled to the divider under the weight of the clothes in his arm. With some difficulty, he managed to get his old clothes off and try a new pair of pants and shirt. It was a little loose but he could fix that with rope or a few stiches on the inside he could undo when he needed to. He proceeded to the next and noted they were all the same size.
He was about to put on his old outfit when there was a knock on the outside. Viktor looked up to see the woman had returned with what looked like a clean uniform in burgundy, navy, gold and white. Confused he took the outfit she thrust out to him. It looked expensive with its lack of stains and accents. From the threads left, he could see there had been a label at one time and a patch of the arm of the jacket. “Ma’am?”
“So polite. You sure you from Zaun, kid?” Viktor nodded, still confused. He watched as she gathered his old clothes. “I’ll take this as a trade. Those are yours now. I’m sure you’ll grow into them, little pup.”
His clothes were stained, stretched, and worn. How was this a fair trade? “But…”
The woman waved it off. “Now, I would say wear them out of the store but you don’t want to attract too much attention around here. I’ll get you a bag.” She then left, ignoring his protest.
With a sigh, he emerged from the divider in the current outfit and hobbled under the weight of the clothes to the front where the doctor and the man were talking. The man now had a little pale-blue haired girl tucked under his chin, rocking her slowly back and forth. The red-haired man smiled at him. “All set?”
Viktor shrugged, not really understanding the question as he set the clothes on the counter, noting the way the doctor jerked at seeing the uniform. He assumed the couple must have nicked it from Piltover as he had never seen anything like it in the undercity and only enforcers seemed to have clothes without stains. “She took my clothes and told me it was a trade for the uniform.”
The red-haired man laughed. “That’s Felicia for ya.”
“What is it for?” Viktor asked the doctor.
“Piltover’s Academy for Science,” Dr. Reveck answered.
Viktor blinked in surprise. “There’s a whole school dedicated to science?” And yet there were barely any schools in the undercity.
The doctor nodded with a sigh as he took in the burgundy shirt and khaki pants Viktor was currently wearing. There was minimal staining on the clothes so Viktor figured the set would likely be pricier.
“Did you want me to change into that one?” Viktor asked, pointing to the dark pants and dark blue shirt with patches.
The doctor shook his head. “No. Although, it would be best to wear that one when we work with chemicals.” He then turned to the man and dug out money from up his sleeve. Viktor’s eyes widened at the amount. “We’ll take the lot.”
----
A few months later, Viktor found himself in the new uniform with a cane to match crossing the bridge from Zaun to Piltover with the doctor. He’d long since cleaned up the loose threads from it and tailored it as best he could to his frame but he felt out of place in it. Then again, it was the first time he was wearing it to wear it and not modify it. It wasn’t like he felt inclined to wear it around the lab.
Three weeks ago, when he’d created a chemical to help ease the pain Rio felt when they filtered her blood, the doctor had stated Viktor had learned all he could teach him. Viktor had protested, trying to hold back tears. Was he about to be thrown away? Had he done something wrong?
The doctor had reassured him he hadn’t and that he had been thinking it was time for Viktor to attend the Academy to learn more than he had to offer. ‘You will always have a home with me, Pup,’ Dr. Reveck had said as he tucked the boy into his chest. ‘Always.’
As an enforcer turned his gaze upon him, Viktor grabbed the doctor’s hand for strength. It gently squeezed back and pulled him across until they were stopped at the end. “Halt!” a masked enforcer shouted, gesturing them to move to the side.
The doctor gently pulled him to the side where an unmasked enforcer sat at a booth. He held out a small book for her to review. “Dr. Corin Reveck?” she questioned as she looked over the book. The doctor nodded his head. “And his identification?” Viktor pressed his body into the doctor’s side as the woman’s hard gaze turned on him.
“My son, Viktor Reveck. Councilor Heimerdinger is expecting us.”
The woman looked back and forth between them for a moment before handing over the doctor’s book. “Very well. Proceed but make sure you get the kid a Piltover ID in the future. Wouldn’t want to confuse him for an undercity boy, would we?”
“No, we wouldn’t want that,” the doctor said flatly as he took the book back and pulled Viktor away before he could say anything in Zaun’s defense. Once out of earshot, he told him, “How they treat citizens of the undercity is wrong, Pup. One day you will show them how wrong they are. But, for now, we must keep quiet. It will be far safer for you up here if they think you are one of them.” Seeing Viktor’s uncertainty, he pulled him into an alleyway to get eye level with the growing pup. “Do you understand, Viktor?”
Viktor shook his head. “No, but I will follow your advice and not let them know I am from the undercity.”
The doctor clasped his cheek. “It will not be forever. You will make a name for yourself and then you will reveal your origin and rub their prejudice in their faces. I know it, my son. But for now, for your safety, we must keep it quiet.” The doctor rose to his full height, and reached for his free hand again. “Come, my son. My old partner awaits.”
So, the walk through the glittering city began. Yet, Viktor barely noticed much, as out of place as he felt. He kept his eyes on his barely scuffed pair of boots until he was before an elaborate wooden door and Dr. Reveck was knocking.
“Come in!” a voice sounded behind the door. The door was opened and Viktor was greeted with the sight of wall-to-wall books, an intricately patterned rug, a small animal sleeping in a plush circle pillow, and a large desk. It took him a moment to realize a small Yordle was behind the large desk as large as everything else in the room was. “Ah, Dr. Reveck, I see you wasted no time acquiring a uniform for your boy.” The little Yordle disembarked from his desk to greet them. “Well, the notebook you sent definitely earned him a spot here. Impressive sketches, Pup. Moreso even than your father but very much like your sister.”
“Sister?” Viktor questioned in confusion. He looked up at the doctor who had an unreadable expression on his face. Wait, there was a picture he had discovered in the doctor’s desk a month ago. A pretty girl with blond hair in a bun and large eyes. He’d simply shrugged it off as one of the strange things the doctor had collected over the years like the painting of a wizard or the tapestry with the strange symbols on the wall above the desk. Though, he had wondered why the doctor hadn’t placed it on the wall or on top of the desk.
The Yordle was startled. “Oh,” the councilor turned his gaze up at the doctor, “I do apologize, Doctor. I didn’t realize…” The Yordle picked up the doctor’s hand to pat it in sympathy. “It must be hard to discuss her, old friend.”
“Yes. Yes, it is.” His voice shook.
“Well, let’s get your boy set up in his dorm. Shall we? Then perhaps we can discuss…”
“I’m sorry old friend, but I am just here to drop off my boy. I have delicate experiments ongoing at my lab.” His voice was now hard.
“Of course!” the Yordle agreed, slightly startled.
A large hand landed heavily on his shoulder. “I am entrusting his welfare to you, Heim.” The grip on his shoulder tightened. “I want you to guarantee his safety under your roof.”
“Of course,” the councilor stated again, “As I stated in our letters, I will keep a close eye on him.”
“No. Before I entrust another one of my children to the care of the Academy, I need you to explicitly promise me.” The grip had grown painful now. Another one? Viktor’s heart began to wildly beat. Just what had happened to Dr. Reveck’s daughter?
The Yordle sighed sadly but nodded its head, “I, Councilor Heimerdinger, will ensure no harm comes to your child, Viktor, while under my care.” He squeezed the hand of the doctor as he looked between the two. “I will watch over him and protect him like he was my own. I swear it on my life.”
“I will hold you to your promise, Heim.” Despite the calm that returned to his voice, the grip on his shoulder took a while to relax.
“Now, Viktor, why don’t we go take a look at your temporary room?”
“Temporary?” Viktor questioned. Was he not to be at the Academy for very long? He thought he was to spend several years here learning.
“Well, your father did not send your medical records.” A slightly disapproving look was cast at Dr. Reveck.
“There are not many doctors in the undercity,” Dr. Reveck shrugged off. “I had not thought I would be sending him to the Academy so I have not had him tested yet.”
“So, we do not know your destined presentation. You have been temporarily placed on the Beta floor until we have the Academy doctor examine you and identify a more suitable placement. If you are a destined Alpha, you will be moved to the Alpha floor. If you are a Beta like your father, you will remain at your temporary room.” The grip on his shoulder released as the Yordle led them out of the room, down the hall, and up three floors of stairs. There were a few students in the hall, laughing and talking amongst themselves. “Your things were already sent ahead, so they should be waiting for you on the bed.”
“Councilor, what if I’m an Omega?”
The Yordle chuckled. “I highly doubt that, Pup. And, while you’re here, you may call me Professor rather than Councilor.”
“Do male omegas not exist?” Viktor questioned, truly curious.
“They do but they are rather rare. The Omega gene is a recessive gene, you see, and linked to the sex chromosomes. It’s why Alphas and Betas are so much higher in number. The Beta gene is the most dominate gene and the Alpha gene dominates the Omega gene.” Despite the impossibility, the Yordle talked animatedly about the concept. Viktor concluded he must love genetics. “For you to be a male Omega, you would need to be from one of the rare lines throughout our world that have a male chromosome with an Omega gene and a female carrying an Omega gene. In all my years, I have only had the pleasure of meeting four male Omegas and three of them were from the same, highly regarded family. The fourth was born at the beginning of our amazing city and left with his mate when magic was forbidden. Your father is a Beta. For him to pass down the rare Y chromosome to you and be a Beta, his X chromosome must have presented as the Beta. However, your s…” The yordle stopped himself and continued, “Well, let’s just say, it’s an impossibility with your particular genetics.”
Viktor glanced at Dr. Reveck with a questioning look. Were they to tell the Councilor he was adopted? The doctor shook his head and simply mouthed “later” and Viktor nodded.
“Ah, here we are, room 312.” Yordle produced a key from his pocket and opened the room. It was nice and clean with a soft looking bed that made Viktor want to dive on the bed and explore the luxurious softness with a blue and gold patterned quilt. There was a small bag on the bed. A medium-sized wooden desk containing a few notebooks with a padded chair was next to a large, intricately designed wardrobe. Viktor noted there was a new set of sketching pencils and a set of pens on the desk as well. As he gazed in wonder, he was startled when the Yordle presented the key to him. “I trust everything is in order?”
“Um… yes, thank you…”
The Yordle waved his thanks away. “No need to thank me, Pup. Your father is my old lab partner. Now, just make sure you come see me if you have any issues, okay?”
“Yes, Professor.”
“Well, Corin, shall I walk you out?”
Dr. Reveck nodded. “Yes. One moment while I bid my son goodbye.”
The Yordle nodded, “If your experiments can indeed wait that long, then I will wait outside.” As soon as the door was shut, Dr. Reveck took him into his arms in a rare, fierce hug.
“Now, listen to me, child. The Academy is a safe place but do not leave the safety of its walls unaccompanied. Understood?”
Viktor nodded, cuddling into the warmth of the tall man, memorizing the Beta scent mixed with the smell of their home lab. “What…?”
“That is not a tale I am ready to tell, child. Just promise me you will not leave the Academy without Heim or another responsible companion.”
“I promise.”