Chapter Text
Jayce’s puppy eyes had convinced him. Since waking up from the effects of the hexcore, Viktor had felt a pull to the undercity, catalysed by his guilt around Sky’s death. He’d gathered her journal from the lab, intending to leave and continue her research, so her legacy may live on.
But he hadn’t factored in Jayce. For such a large and powerfully built man, he had a talent for making himself look small and needy. His normally neat appearance was gone, his hair hung over his forehead, his stubble had grown in thicker and he was in a state of undress.
His lack of shirt or even undershirt revealed recent injuries he’d sustained- bandages wrapped around his shoulder and back. They were bloodied and needed changing. Everything in Viktor wanted to leave- Jayce had broken his promise and rather than destroy the hexcore, had allowed it to meld with Viktor’s body. But everything in him also longed to stay by Jayce’s side, scold him for not taking better care of himself, find out what had lacerated his back, lean into his warm hug.
What had happened to Jayce? How long had he been waiting for Viktor to wake up? As the larger man reluctantly pulled away, it seemed he was just as curious about the state of his friend, eyes darting across his new form. It hadn’t taken long for him to wrap him in a blanket, it smelt like Jayce, he must have been using it to sleep in the lab.
Viktor could feel his hair, now longer, sticking to his forehead and he peered through it, catching the man’s eyes as he once again spoke up “I’m going to resign from the council. I understand now, my place was always here, in the lab, with you.” He emphasised his words with a hand to Viktor’s still foreign feeling shoulder, pulling him toward his side. “We’ll make this right, together”
His attention was drawn to the blueprints that scattered the table in the lab. Their table, and the work they had spent years collaborating on. They could continue with their work, continue to try to find ways to improve living conditions in Zaun. Then he felt the heavy weight of Sky’s journal still in his hand.
Before Viktor could disappoint Jayce with his desire to leave, a strange charge ran through him. It wasn’t an unpleasant feeling but it was unfamiliar. Jayce was equally confused as the same energy moved through his runestone bracelet.
Then just as quickly as it had started, it abruptly stopped. Remnants of magic drifted through the air, with nothing to show for it. What just happened? The two shared a confused look and then Jayce began speaking again, discarding the notes in his hands on the table and turning his full attention to Viktor. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?” He was normally careful not to patronise Viktor who hated to be perceived as weak and in need of help, but things had changed. He had nearly lost him.
“Fine, it was just a sort of energy, passing through me. Not painful.” Viktor quickly placated his worries.
His partner seemed to think for a moment “You should stay here, where we can monitor you.” Viktor couldn’t help the scoff he let out in response.
“I’m not a guinea pig, Jayce. I would like to sleep in my own bed.” He moved away from worried, calloused hands. He was absolutely not staying in this room with- his gaze shifted to the substance he had extracted himself from- that.
Jayce’s eyes followed Viktor’s before they once again met. “I understand. You must be confused. I am too, I don’t fully understand what happened.” His shoulders shrugged and he seemed to shrink in on himself, clearly feeling guilty for what he had done to his friend. “But I did make notes.” He supplied with a small smile, journal held out towards him.
Viktor couldn’t help the smile that tugged on the edges of his lips, Jayce was oh so predictable, probably still signed every page. He made to accept the journal from his rigid, clearly still stressed, hands. He wanted to speak with Jayce about what had happened since the council meeting face-to-face, not read it from some pages. His hands remained at his sides.
“I’d like to speak with you about this properly. Tomorrow. You look exhausted and desperately in need of a shower.” He let a proper smile slip through, showing his partner that he still cared, despite the betrayal of his trust. Mostly it was to stop Jayce from looking like a kicked puppy, tears had been in his eyes since he woke and they had still not left nor fallen. “I need a shower too, to get this goop you’ve allowed me to marinate in off.”
Jayce blinked, a short puff of air leaving his nose, not quite a laugh. Although he was still wound up from the past events, he allowed some of the tension to leave his shoulders, bumping one against Viktor’s “You’re definitely more in need of one.”
It was supposed to be a lighthearted comment but it made Viktor wonder how long he’d been in that state for. “Yes well, I’ll be sure to keep you informed of any changes.” He looked towards the man’s bracelet. “I expect the same from you.” His desire to leave Piltover was now replaced with a familiar curiosity, Jayce’s bracelet had never behaved in that way.
He’d walked Viktor back to his room. Hanging around enough to heat some sweetmilk for him whilst Viktor showered. Jayce was familiar with his partner’s room, having spent the time to make sure Viktor was taking care of himself. He often found himself falling into bad habits, not eating nor sleeping properly, but since Jayce had become a part of his life, he’d been better.
Viktor dried off in the bathroom, collecting the blanket and slinging it back over his shoulders, covering himself. Upon exiting the bathroom, he joined Jayce at his table. It was clearly provided to give students a space to eat but he had used even this space to work, the surface covered in various papers and parts of machinery. His partner had cleared a space and set the mug in front of him. He promptly sprinkled some cinnamon on top, the action reminding Viktor that despite recent circumstances, this was still his friend who cared for him. “Thank you, Jayce.”
Jayce’s eyes softened, his name in his friend’s familiar tone warming his chest. “Anytime.” With a sigh, he ran a hand through his hair, pulling it off of his forehead, making to leave. He stopped at the door. “Promise me you’ll come get me if you feel unwell?”
The smaller man hadn’t been expecting Jayce to so forwardly show his concern and paused mid sip, a little nod. “Promise me you’ll get some sleep.”
Jayce gave the same small nod in return and then quietly closed the door, despite his size, he always seemed to move so quietly, considerate of other people.
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Viktor woke with a start. He’d fallen asleep before even finishing Jayce’s offering of the hot drink, one hand still wrapped around the mug and the other resting flat on the table. It seemed that his partner had inadvertently trained Viktor’s body into thinking it was time to sleep after a cup of the stuff.
It had still been light when he had fallen asleep but it was now dark, judging by the stiffness of his neck, he estimated that he had been asleep for a few hours. Something had woken him up.
He couldn’t hear anything now, but Viktor was a light sleeper and he could sense a presence in his room. He could imagine Jayce had become overly worried and was checking in on him. He was about to get an earful about falling asleep at the table again. “Jayce?” His voice was thick with his accent, as it always was after just waking.
He felt the air shift behind him. He lifted his heavy head, both hands pushing up on the table, to see the figure. Jayce had moved closer but was now once again still, silhouette watching Viktor. There was an odd smell in the air, ozone? Viktor’s sleepy mind tried to connect it to an origin. “Jayce?” A sense of unease dropped into Viktor’s stomach as the figure remained still and silent, he moved to get up from his seat.
“Viktor.” Jayce’s voice finally responded, a hoarse edge to it.
Viktor sighed, though the fear didn’t quite leave him. The smell was in his throat now, his sleepy mind still lagging. Was Jayce really worried enough about him to not be able to leave him alone for a few hours? “Jayce, you should be sleeping. I said I’d tell you if-”
He’d moved lightning fast, going from stock still to leaning over the table, one hand finding Viktor’s jaw and the other his shoulder. This close, Viktor could see the frantic look in his eyes, the little light in the room bouncing off of them. He could also tell that the smell was coming from him.
Jayce had always been touchy but never like this. His hand held firm but shaky, much rougher than usual. Viktor wracked his brain, maybe the man had had a nightmare? He remained still and silent, waiting for another clue or a word from Jayce.
His head was lifted and tilted around, his partner getting a good look at him. Viktor grew frustrated and moved to swipe the hands off of him, taking a step back as he did. But the hands did not budge and Jayce moved backwards with him, forcing him to continue to step backwards, nearly losing his footing at the pace a couple times, until he met the wall. “Jayce, what has gotten into you?” Viktor never shouted, always spoke at a comfortable volume, but he spoke sternly.
His brain finally connected the smell to the surge from earlier, to the floating blue dust that he and Jayce often created when experimenting in the lab. The smell of ozone, of magic. The smell didn’t normally linger like this, let alone stick to a person.
His hands gave up on trying to pry Jayce away, instead moving to his wrist, searching for the familiar leather band, but he couldn’t find it. Jayce didn’t normally remove it to sleep. Perhaps it had started to surge again and he had removed it? That would explain his presence, but not their current position. “Jayce?” He tried again.
The hand on his shoulder moved to grab at Viktor’s hands, collecting them both up in one fist, stopping his search for the bracelet. His hands were pushed above his head, joining the rest of his body against the wall. He was not a fan of the compromising position, nor Jayce using his strength to manhandle him in this way.
“You’re worrying me.” The hands slackened, one leaving his jaw completely. Jayce grumbled, rubbed his hand over his face, massaging his temples. Then he left Viktor entirely, seeming to search the room for something.
His next words only confused Viktor more. “Where’s your cane?”.
It had been leaning against the table, next to Viktor’s chair. Though he didn’t have as much use for it, he was still using it earlier out of habit. “I don’t know. Why do you need my cane?”
His searching paused and he moved back towards Viktor. His eyes were beginning to adjust now and his mind supplied him with the fact that something was wrong, once again. “We’re leaving, you’ll need your cane, anything else you wanna bring?”
Viktor couldn’t make sense of anything, tried to speak but stumbled over his words. The other’s searching continued.
“Ah!” Jayce pulled the cane from under the table, moving back to Viktor and setting it in his hands. Something is wrong. Why was Jayce limping?
“Has something happened?” He finally formed a sentence.
A laugh jolted out of Jayce before he abruptly stopped. “So much.” A hand wrapped around Viktor’s back, guiding him towards his balcony. “Come on.” Viktor was propelled forwards momentarily before digging his heels into the ground.
“What is going on Jayce?” His lips pouted in the way they always did when he was frustrated. His eyes met wide, still seemingly frantic ones. Hair hung a little too long over them. A few hours ago, the same hair had barely reached his eyes.
“Gods can you stop being so difficult Viktor?” He tried to move Viktor forwards once again.
Viktor moved his hands to grab at furniture, something to anchor himself to. “Difficult?” He hissed. “You’re acting strange! You’re not making any sense.”
The man broke his grip from Viktor, choosing instead to pace around his room, muttering to himself. Viktor picked up on the word promise and went with that to get through to the man. “You promised to get some sleep, you’re exhausted, it’s making you act odd.”
The pacing stopped and he laughed again. “I promised much more than that.” Viktor let go of the bookshelf he’d attached himself to, instead opting to keep as much distance between them as possible.
Jayce didn’t miss his glance towards the door and situated himself between Viktor and the exit. In this light he could make out tattered stained clothes, a leg brace. “I don’t understand.”
Moving in again, slowly. “You will. Let me help you.”
Danger. Danger. Viktor’s fight or flight failed and he remained frozen in place, eyes never leaving his partner. The space between them became smaller.
Finally, he spoke up again “I don’t need help, Jayce.”
The man stopped, closing his eyes, fingers rubbing his temple again, pinching his brow. Viktor saw an opportunity. He darted past Jayce, making for the door to the hall. He didn’t know where he’d go beyond that, he would normally go to Jayce for help but in this instance he was the problem.
He was saved from having to make a decision as his hands slipped from the door handle, hands pulling him backwards roughly, caught around his waist. Viktor turned, hands gripping at the table he’d been sleeping at minutes prior. Papers fell to the floor along with his mug as he was dragged away. He struggled in the grip, feeling in an even more precarious situation as he was pushed to the ground.
He heard fabric tearing, the hands had moved to his wrists again. The fabric was used to secure Viktor’s hands together behind his back. Viktor panicked and began to shout for help but Jayce’s hand quickly clapped over his mouth. “Shhhh.” Viktor breathed heavily against his hand, chest heaving in fear. Exacerbated by his next words. “We don’t want to wake up your Jayce.”
The man sat on top of Viktor, tearing more fabric and stuffing his mouth with the makeshift gag was not Jayce. That tracked, Jayce would never behave in this way. Viktor whimpered, feeling helpless.
Please wake up Jayce. He thought as the man rolled him over. “That’s better.” He awarded him with a gap-toothed smile that was so Jayce.
Viktor’s leg flew out, kicking the chair beside him over. This Jayce fixed him with a level look before grabbing at his ankles. “You better hope that nobody heard that.”
Viktor’s blood went icy at the words, what would this Jayce do if someone were to intrude right now? With his legs now bound together too, Viktor was easily lifted on top of the man’s shoulder. He moved to the balcony door once again, nudging it open. Had he broken in this way? As he shared an appearance with Piltover’s Golden Boy, he should have been able to move around the building without question. Viktor wondered whether the enforcers would question him tying up and kidnapping his lab partner.
The blanket had dropped over Viktor’s face, obscuring his vision. He heard Jayce straining slightly as he lifted them both onto the roof. Stepping surprisingly lightly over it. He was jostled around over his firm shoulder as, he assumed, the man hopped from rooftop to rooftop.
Once he could hear the gravelly sound of the ground again and didn’t have to fear being dropped off of a building, Viktor moved to kick his legs into the man. With a growl he lifted him from his shoulder and planted him against a building, the blanket dropping from over his head. “Not making this easy are you?”
Viktor rose an eyebrow, why would he let this crazed Jayce take him anywhere? One hand fixed itself over his mouth and the other over his nose. He tried to make a noise over the hand before he felt the restriction of oxygen. He panicked, knees buckling as he tried to move downwards, the only direction he could go in at this point.
The hands did not let up and he felt himself getting lightheaded, his eyes drooping. The man had made his point, but he still did not release the smaller man.
He was going to kill him, Viktor’s mind unhelpfully provided. He was sitting on the ground at this point, only held up by the hands, completely helpless as his airway was blocked by someone who looked like his partner.
His vision grew too white and fuzzy, he was too disconnected from his body to feel the hands leave, and slipped into unconsciousness.