Archive of Our Own ^beta

When Viktor walks in the next day, limping, Jayce is forced to realize what he’d been ignoring most of that night.

“Shit,” he exclaims, rushing over to Viktor. He offers up an arm–  Viktor bats it away. “We broke your cane, didn’t we?”

“It is fine,” Viktor says dismissively. Jayce opens his mouth to go, no, clearly, it’s not, you’re limping, but Viktor glares at him intensely. Any protest dies on his lips. “We should start working.”

Jayce listens and drags a blackboard over so Viktor can sit down. Viktor gives him a look full of judgement, but he sits down nevertheless.

Jayce realizes that, for all he and Viktor did that night, they don’t actually know each other. However, Jayce does know how to make stuff, and he remembers what Viktor’s cane looked like. It’s easy work to commission another one.

When he gives it to Viktor a week later, he feels just a little bit of delight at the way Viktor’s mouth falls open. “Jayce, this is…” he grabs it deftly, quickly adjusting to use that instead of what had been a makeshift one from the hospital wing. “This is incredible. How much did it cost?”

“Don’t worry about it.” Viktor opens his mouth, but Jayce beats him to the punch. “No, seriously, don’t– it’s my fault your cane broke anyways. Consider this payback for saving my idea and making it better.” For saving my life, Jayce finishes in the privacy of his head.

Viktor frowns, but he sighs. “If you agree to never bring it up again, then it’s a deal.”

“Deal.”

Viktor grins; it’s a sharp, small thing. Something warm spikes in Jayce’s gut at the sight. Before Jayce can think further on that, Viktor turns back to the blackboard to continue an equation. Jayce walks away from the moment with a sense of satisfaction, and he gazes upon Viktor as the genius walks around to better prove a mathematical theory.

It takes only three days for Jayce to realize two things; one, that he and Viktor are going to change the world, and two, he owes Viktor the sun and stars.

Viktor’s a goddamn genius. Jayce should’ve expected it, but he’s still blindsided by it every time they solve an equation together, every time Viktor efficiently and quickly engineers a new component to test out runes with. Viktor is the reason this will succeed; Jayce feels an unstoppable urge to show his gratitude to Viktor.

Unfortunately, Jayce has a feeling Viktor wouldn’t accept gifts. Jayce is a quick learner– it’s why he got this far in his academic career– so, when planning out, he writes down two things.

#1: Viktor won’t allow guilt.

That’s clear from his behavior. Jayce doesn’t understand why, but, then again, it would be incredibly annoying if everyone always assumed he was incompetent. Jayce already knows Viktor prides himself on his self-sufficiency. While Jayce would like to just hand him presents as compensation for ensuring Jayce’s future, that’s not in the cards. Anything he gives without a way for Viktor to pay back will be rejected, but if he's sneaky about it, it'll be accepted without rejection. He has to be strategic about this.

#2: he can’t give anything frivolous.

This one makes more sense to Jayce. While house Talis isn’t incredibly prestigious, he’s seen the gifts of House Kiramman– how they’d buy necklaces that weigh chests down, or gift clothes so expensive they should be kept in a museum. Viktor won’t want any of that, of course. Jayce will just have to make stuff useful to him. 

It’s a fun background musing, in a way– while he and Viktor work on Hextech, Jayce can absentmindedly scribble blueprints for other things. He needs just one good idea, but there's a dozen bad ones before the right one appears. Jayce thinks of a platform that can lower up and down instead of a staircase, simply because it’s less work to reach books that way. He sketches more advanced versions of Viktor’s cane, even though he knows Viktor won’t accept it. After getting the most wild dreams out of the way, Jayce decides to go small. He builds Viktor some engineering tools.

It’s just a regular kit for engineering, nothing special in design. It’s also not uniquely enhanced in any magical or technological way– they’re just damn good screwdrivers and wrenches. They’re made with the higher quality metal Jayce has access to from his forge, and will withstand pretty much anything. It should be simple enough that Viktor will accept them, and it’s enough of an investment that Jayce won’t feel that nagging guilt anymore.

He finishes the two sets after a couple weeks. One early morning, while Viktor is asleep, he sneaks them in. It takes only a day or two before he can find a way to get Viktor to handle them.

“Hey, Viktor, pass me my flathead screwdriver.”

Viktor grabs the one from his toolbox, and Jayce can see him realize the quality. Viktor hesitates for just a moment, but he places it in Jayce’s hand. “These are remarkable tools. Where are they from?”

“My forge,” Jayce says easily. He’s not good at lying– in fact, he’s complete shit at it– but he can bend the truth a little when necessary. “I go there to destress when I have the time, and stuff like this is fun to make.”

“They are… very high quality,” Viktor murmurs. He is gazing contemplatively at the toolbox. 

“You can have some, if you want. I make them all the time.” That isn’t technically a lie– Jayce has rarely repeated making anything in the forge, so making it twice does count as “all the time.”

Viktor purses his lips, but Jayce knows he’s won. Viktor cares about his work more than anything, so he’ll take a higher-quality tool if offered. “If you do not mind.”

“Course not. I’ll bring in some next week. Meanwhile, I have some spares in the other cabinet.” Jayce hadn’t meant to say that– he’d meant to say, “why, it just happens I have an extra pair in the cabinet there! Take those!” but that seemed inadequate at the moment. He’ll make Viktor’s more personalized. There, that’s a good thing to do. He’ll like that.

Viktor nods and grabs the toolbox. Jayce sets back to his work, contemplatively feeling the screwdriver balance in his hand. They are pretty damn good screwdrivers.

When he makes Viktor’s tools, he spends more time in the forge than before. He adjusts the grip for Viktor’s slightly smaller hands that are thinner and more nimble. It’s not as if Viktor will notice, but, well. Jayce can’t really help himself.

The next week, he presents them to Viktor. He purposefully does it very casually— a “hey, here’s the stuff I promised you” in a regular cardboard box. He’s very much not trying to make Viktor in awe.

That doesn’t stop something warm from unfurling in Jayce’s gut as Viktor takes the tools. 

“These are beautiful, Jayce,” Viktor murmurs. “You have done very well.”

A warm spike shoots through Jayce’s spine— it’s like brandy and fire. He flushes. “Oh. Thanks.”

“Of course.” Viktor walks away, his hand still grasping the screwdriver. Jayce is left speechless for some reason. 

He could stop giving stuff to Viktor. He was supposed to stop after the toolbox— he’s shown his gratitude. It just doesn’t seem as palatable now, after seeing Viktor’s face light up, after hearing Viktor compliment him.

It’s not weird. Friends give each other stuff all the time. He’s just being a good friend. That’s what’s happening. 

Jayce needs to plan out the next one if he wants to make a proper gift. Yeah, after these two months, he brings in snacks for Viktor nearly every morning, and yes, he learns to stock the room with a spare pillow and blanket in case Viktor crashes while working, but those aren’t gifts. That’s just human decency. Jayce needs to do something more, and he wants to see that delight in Viktor’s face.

Tools are still a good option, but they’re mostly working with runes now, getting down with the theoretical element, so it’s not really Jayce’s field. Not as if he can make something like super advanced chalk. The thing that does come to mind is coffee.

Viktor really likes coffee. He doesn’t take it black (Jayce does, much to Viktor's horror), but his coffee every morning is a ritual for him and Jayce. It’s a ritual for Jayce because it’s how he wakes up; it’s a ritual for Viktor because it’s how he stays awake.

“What time did you get here again?” Jayce asks bemusedly as he stirs the cup.

Viktor waves a hand absentmindedly. “It does not matter.”

“I think it does. Can’t have my partner falling asleep on his runes work.”

“That was one time–” Viktor protests, but he’s silenced by the thunk of the coffee mug. 

Viktor eyes it warily. “If you think taking this is me agreeing with you, you are wrong.”

Jayce nods solemnly. “I know you better than that.”

“Good.” Viktor takes the mug by the handle and drinks from it in one hand, furiously writing down some theory with the other. The moment is forgotten by Viktor as he begins to ramble on about what they should do next. Jayce doesn’t forget, though.

The thing is, they’ve been drinking really shitty coffee this entire time. The instant-ground stuff mostly, or coffee from a coffee shop across the street when Jayce has time, which is basically never. This is a small way he can improve Viktor’s life, and he can say he’s improving his own. It’s a win–win.

Jayce decides not to design the coffee-maker originally, but then, when Viktor is trying to lecture him on some runic mishap or the other, the blueprint doodles just happen. He also likes heading to the forge, so there’s no harm.

He designs parts of the coffee-press, buys the other tools with his spending money. It comes together well– it’s a light blue and silver, and it can make damn good coffee.

Jayce brings it in the next day. He makes himself a cup with it, and, sure enough, Viktor notices.

“That is new.” He frowns. “Have you bought a coffee maker?”

“Made it, really.” Jayce pours the coffee into two mugs for him and Viktor. “I’ve been antsy with all the theory we’ve been working on, so I went and made the metal parts during my free time.”

“Free-time should be used on our theories, Jayce,” Viktor scolds, but the smile pulling at his face tells Jayce everything.

“Yeah, because work-life balance shouldn’t exist,” he cracks. He places the mug down. “But seriously, it’s good.”

Viktor glances at the mug as if it's a rabid animal. He tentatively takes it and drinks it; his eyes widen. “Fucking hell, this is good,” he swears. He drinks more and groans in delight.

Jayce feels his cheeks flush. 

“Start selling those, and we will not need to request any funding,” Viktor says. 

Jayce laughs. “One can dream,” he says, going to get his cup instead of cheering at another success. Nice.

After 4 months of working together, Jayce has found small ways to pay Viktor back that Viktor won’t protest at. The coffee one is obvious, and the tools too, but Viktor also has some sense of manners. If Jayce makes food for both of them, Viktor will eat it. Jayce had originally done that since he firmly believed no good science happens on an empty stomach, but he quickly realizes that it’s a great way to do something nice for Viktor. Everyone likes good food, after all.

His mom is a bit confused when he shows up one day asking for cooking lessons, but she takes it in stride. It’s a way for them to spend time together, and she’s always loved cooking; why would she complain?

“Finally found someone to make an honest man out of you?” she teases one night. Jayce’s heart hammers in his chest as he laughs: probably because he almost cut his thumb off from clumsiness.

“Mama, it’s not like that.” He chops up the herbs. “Just– I’ve realized I should probably be able to cook for myself.”

“My son, the responsible man,” she murmurs. “Will wonders never cease?”

And, well. Jayce would take offense if it wasn’t so true.

So Jayce begins to pack lunches every once in a while and bring them with him. It’s also calming to work on the food at home– it’s not the forge, so he doesn’t have to shower, but it’s still a physical act. Unlike his peers, he was never able to destress by sitting around and painting. He needs to be moving, to be active. Cooking is active enough for him to think properly while doing it.

“Jayce, how often does your mother cook?” Viktor asks one night as they stuff themselves on street corn and chicken tortilla soup.

“A lot. I remember my childhood from great smells coming from the kitchen. She’s where I learned this from.”

Viktor freezes. “You… you’ve been making these dishes?”

“Yeah, actually.” He wipes his mouth. “Been learning from my mom. Realized that, now that I’m an actual inventor and all, I should probably be functional by myself.”

“Hm.” Viktor accepts his half-excuse, half-lie, and continues to eat. Jayce would like to pretend that seeing Viktor happy isn’t warming his heart, but Viktor’s his friend. He won’t lie to himself like that.

Jayce figures out that Viktor is a fan of constellations. He buys a map or two and gives it to him on the year anniversary of them working together.

“Jayce, I cannot possibly accept…” Viktor begins, but Jayce waves him off.

“Of course you can— just figure out something to give to me if you need to.”

Viktor’s hands are hesitant to reach out, but his eyes are already roaming the poster. “You would prefer it if I didn’t pay you back.”

“I mean, yeah, but that’s because I think you’ve done enough for me already,” Jayce says, hand on his neck.

“I feel the same way, Jayce.” Viktor’s mouth is now settled into a slight smile. His hand traces the star sagitta. “Do not give things to me and not expect to be paid back.” His eyes cut up as he looks through his eyelashes. Jayce feels a flash of heat snake up his spine.

“Al-alright.” He sighs. “You’re too stubborn for your own good, Viktor.”

“Hm. So are you.”

And, well. Jayce can’t argue with that. Plus, Viktor's present of a damn good pair of welding goggles is highly appreciated.

Jayce learns that Viktor’s leg, while not receptive to many things, does appreciate basic painkillers. He stocks up on them in their lab.

Viktor offhandedly mentions how his boots aren’t waterproof. Jayce buys him a pair, but he forgets to mention it’s not for himself at the shop. It's given to him with the house Talis sign embroidered in. Jayce stares at it, a buzzy feeling in his veins. He stores it in a closet where no one can see.

When Viktor mentions having a penchant for chocolate, Jayce finds that it’s not very difficult to get him to absentmindedly eat it if he places it next to Viktor while he’s working.

Jayce realizes all his blueprints outside of work are things he wants to make for Viktor. He doesn’t quite know what to make of that.

“This recipe is for your partner, then?” His friend asks. He’s realized that, with all the cooking he’s done, Jayce could actually probably bake decently, so he’s trying to find a good chocolate souffle recipe.

“My partner?” Jayce repeats, hearing the connotations. No, not actually my partner in that way, we’re just the closest friends each other has. I’ve found that living with him is better than not. Science partners, yes, but nothing more. Nothing more.

“Yeah,” Jayce says instead, mouth dry, hands clammy. “Yeah, he’s my partner.”

It stops being an active process for Jayce at some point. Suddenly, it’s been two years working with Viktor, and everything is about him now. Jayce will make dishes more often, simply because he thinks Viktor will like this. He finds different types of coffee beans to grind because he remembers Viktor absentmindedly mentioning that he prefers coffee that’s floral instead of bitter. He buys extra blankets because he knows Viktor runs cold, and then he buys different ones when he realizes that Viktor can care about the feeling of fabric against his skin. Suddenly, every movement of his life is about Viktor and he doesn’t know why.

It’s even weirder because it’s not as if it was a sudden change. Jayce has known for months now that Viktor is the most important person in his life. It’s unsurprising– while people like Jayce, and Jayce likes people, they don’t tend to care about him. They find him attractive, or charming, and they don’t want to delve deeper. Viktor isn’t like that, of course. Viktor’s seen something in him since day one, and that’s why they’re such close friends. Of course Jayce would take extra care of him.

That still doesn’t explain why Jayce has found out-of-print books about constellations to give to Viktor, pretending he cares about that. Or why he’s rewired the heating in the lab to run warmer just to keep Viktor comfortable. Or why he’s currently in the goddamn Undercity to find an obscure object Viktor had mentioned. Some sort of flashlight, made specifically to peer through dust and fog. He’s mentioned it being useful at some point, so now Jayce is searching for it after multiple hours of research. Because of course he is.

The Undercity has somehow gotten exponentially worse in the last two years. Jayce wishes it wasn’t just his paranoia, or his Piltover tendencies, but he knows he’s right. The place now reeks with fear, and the shop he used to buy stuff from is shut down.

“Benzo died 2 years ago.”

Jayce whirls on his feet. It’s the kid who’d given him help two years earlier. He looks far older than before. “Oh. uh. I’m sorry,” he says lamely.

The kid’s stony glare doesn’t let up. “What do you want?”

“I, uh, a friend gave me a description of a type of flashlight that’s common down here.” Jayce scrambles to remove the paper from his pocket. “I was going to… ask around and try to buy it, I guess.”

The kid, who was already so judgmental, clearly conveys the message you’re a fucking idiot with a single eyebrow raise. “You were going to wander. Through the Undercity. To ask for something.”

“Look, I just thought–” Jayce pinches his nose. “He’s from here, and I was thinking that if I could find something down there, I could give it to him.”

“That’s… really sweet, actually. But stupid.”

“Thanks.”

“No, seriously, that’s incredibly stupid of you to do, but I kinda get it.” The kid steps away from the wall. “Can I see it?”

 Jayce hesitates, but hell, all he has is a copy of his sketch he made from Viktor’s descriptions. He hands it over.

The kid looks the drawing up and down. “I’ll get you this item tomorrow if you pay me… 200 gold pieces,” the kid says.

“‘Deal.”

The kid blinks. He definitely did not expect Jayce to instantly agree; fuck, Jayce also didn’t expect himself to instantly agree. Seems he’s just a fool no matter what. “I… alright, then.” 

The kid stretches out a hand. Jayce places a hundred in there, and, before the kid can protest, Jayce raises an eyebrow. “I’m already overpaying you.”

The kid smiles at that. It looks like an actual 12 year old instead of the angsty teen from before. “Yeah, true. Meet me here tomorrow and I’ll have your item.”

Jayce nods and heads out before he can start thinking “why did I do that,” or “you've already given so much to Viktor, there’s no reason to do more.” He’s half convinced himself that he’s going to leave the kid dry tomorrow, politely rejecting the item when he enters the lab that night.

“Jayce!” Viktor has practically run over to him. There is a delighted smile on his face. Something like champagne fizzes in Jayce’s veins; the feeling only doubles when Viktor grasps his hand and pulls him in. “I’ve figured out a rune!”

“Oh my god.” Jayce can feel a smile splitting his face too. “Oh my god, Viktor. Holy shit. Holy shit!”

“Yes!” Viktor would probably be jumping and down from glee without his leg, if the rocking on his feet says anything. “It’s a movement rune, and it’ll transport what we need nearly instantly. I think—“

Jayce pulls him in for a hug. It’s bony and angular; it's the best hug Jayce has ever had. Viktor runs cold, but he smells like chalk and cedar wood, probably from the candles Jayce started keeping in the room. When Jayce leans back, he feels his hands clutch Viktor’s forearms like a lifeline.

“This is— this is incredible,” Jayce says breathlessly. He feels like he’s flying. Viktor is in his arms, and their dream is coming true, and isn’t that an incredible thing to say? Their dream. Jayce shares a dream with someone. No, not just someone— with Viktor. Who else could be so incredible but Viktor?

“Yes.” Viktor smiles softly, swallows, and blinks. He steps back and goes to the chalkboard. His back is turned to Jayce, and Jayce can’t really explain the sinking stone of disappointment in his chest. “I think— we should be able to figure out a way to transport ships across the city, if we take this to a further level.”

Jayce goes to Viktor, and they begin to work on the chalkboard. Four hours later, after Viktor has left the lab (an occurrence Jayce has bullied him into a couple of times now), Jayce stares at the chalkboard. He feels the ache in his chest, more prominent than ever.

He wishes he didn’t have a suspicion of what it was.

The kid is exactly where they first met a day later. Jayce wants to applaud him, but he’s too busy fishing out his coins.

“Thanks. Seriously.” He takes the flashlight from the kid. when he turns it on and off, sure enough, it pierces through the low-level smog like a knife cleaving through butter.

“Don’t mention it.” The kid is rummaging through the coins, and it’s not greed flashing through his eyes– it’s more like relief. “I can feed so many people with this.”

Feed. Jayce is familiar with hunger and starvation in the most abstract sense– he has read fictional books where the main characters have starved, he has read studies on its long-term effects. It is very different to see Viktor’s compulsion to keep shelf-stable foods, or to hear a kid celebrate because they’ll have enough food on their plate.

“Hey. Kid.”

The kid raises an eyebrow. “Ekko.”

“Yeah, sorry– Ekko. How often do you go without a meal?”

Ekko stares at him. Once again, Jayce is left feeling like he’s the dumbest man alive because of a teenager. If it weren’t for the circumstances, he’d be thinking of Caitlyn. Teenagers just seem to be always judgy, no matter where they are. “...is that a trick question, or?”

“No, no, not a trick question,” Jayce assures. “I don’t… I never knew anything about the Undercity until I met Viktor. Until I went down here.”

“Holy shit.” Ekko’s eyes are widening, and he slips the money into a pocket. “You really are as ignorant as you seem,” he murmurs. “I thought you were conning me, but you really don’t know.”

“I…” Jayce wants to protest– he’s an intelligent man in most ways, even if he can’t lie and scam and cheat– but he will always try and face his failings. “No. No, I don’t think I know.”

“Want to do some real help? Provide food for Zaun’s starving masses. That’s my advice.” Ekko turns on his heel. “Listen, I have no clue how rich you actually are, but I doubt you can’t afford to lose some spare change. If you want to help, you should find me again someday and help me support a project I have.”

“What–” For all of Jayce’s faults, he knows he isn’t hesitant. “What about now?”

Ekko blinks. “Now? Like, now-now?”

“Yeah, now-now.” Jayce steps forward. He can feel himself being assessed by Ekko, and he won’t fail. “I may not know a lot about the Undercity, but I’m strong, I have two working hands, and I have a little bit of spare change left. I’m free the rest of the night. Tell me what you want to do.”

Ekko tilts his head. “I… yeah, actually. You know what? Yeah. Follow me.”

That’s how Jayce ends up spending 5 hours traversing the Undercity with Ekko, finding different kids who lay on street gutters or are dirty from mine work. Each time, they have some sort of ailment that would be laughable in Piltover– my knee is dislocated, so I can’t work, so I can’t afford dinner tonight. My mom has died, and that means I don’t have a home, and that means I’m living on the streets because orphanages aren’t really a thing down here. I had an infection, so I’m now blind in my left eye, so I need your muscles so people don’t try to rob me.

It’s ridiculous. Jayce wants to laugh at the horror of it. Ekko, for all his smarts, is apparently 12 years old, and he doesn’t seem to realize how absolutely awful this way of life is. 

“This is… this is life for all you guys?”

“I mean, yeah.” Ekko shrugs as he doles out another couple coins to one of his friends. “I make a habit of befriending those suffering the most, so it’s not like this for everyone. You’ve basically just gotten a tour of Zaun’s homeless kids, I’m afraid. Most people have food and water and stuff.”

“But there shouldn’t be homeless children!” Jayce shouts. He’s taken aback by the roiling anger in his chest. “You guys– you’re a teenager. You’re Caitlyn’s age. None of this should be happening.”

“Yeah. It shouldn’t.” Ekko sniffs. “Wallowing in it doesn’t do any good, so I’m going to tell you to put your righteous anger away. Being angry at the world for existing does nothing if you won’t change it, and it’s hard enough to change the people down here. Half of all Zaunites will look away from the starving kids next to them. How the fuck are we supposed to make the people miles above care?”

And. And Ekko has a point. Jayce knows that he would never have cared if Ekko hadn’t patiently guided him through these streets. He knows that, if he stumbled past one of these kids by accident, he’d probably hand a few coins and then forget about it. Only through a super-specific set of circumstances has he begun to understand the injustice right beneath him. 

Fortunately, Jayce has never been one to back down from a challenge.

“If you had to list the top three things you want as a person from the Undercity,” Jayce says slowly, “What would they be?”

“Silco gone, easy number one. I hate that guy.” Ekko scowls, and it’s darker than his normal look– it’s full of true grief, grief that cuts to the bone. “Number two? Probably stop the production of shimmer. Three would be… a candy store? Who knows.”

Jayce is abruptly reminded that, even though Ekko has played an incredible role in the last three hours, he is still a child. Jayce shouldn’t be foisting more responsibility onto him. “Hey, Ekko?”

“Yeah?”

“Meet me here tomorrow, and I’ll do whatever help you need. Trust me.”

Ekko tilts his head. “I think I might. Trust you, I mean. You don’t seem like a good enough liar for me not to.”

“Well.” Jayce grins as he heads away. “You’ve got that right.”

Alright. So. Zaunite independence. That’s a heavy topic, and Jayce is certainly no politician. However, he does know one politician that is heavily invested in the progress of Hextech and is smarter than most the people in this city.

It takes Jayce 2 days for find free time. It takes him exactly 13 hours after that to decide he needs to do something.

“Jayce?” Mel blinks. “You look… exhausted.”

“Well, that’s because I’ve spent the last 12 hours researching the formation of the Undercity,” Jayce says. He is holding four books on one side, a map on the other. “Can I come in?”

“I…” If Jayce didn’t feel like he was on the precipice of a real discovery, he’d be proud of himself for making the great Mel Medarda speechless. “Of course.” She opens the door.

Jayce immediately sets his research materials down, running a hand through his hair. “Alright, so. I’m going to propose something crazy.”

“That seems to be your MO, I’m afraid,” Mel says drily, “What with Hextech and all.”

“Yeah, but I’m a scientist; I knew what I was talking about then.” Jayce huffs a breath. “I don’t know what I’m talking about now.”

“Well then. You should probably start from the beginning.” Mel gestures to the table. “Or, more specifically, what made you come to me for this.”

“I’ve been… doing some projects, and I had to go into the Undercity for one of them.” Jayce is already a shitty liar, but lying in front of Mel is beyond stupid. She raises an eyebrow already, somehow sensing Jayce’s inner emotional turmoil over Viktor, but she simply inclines her head. “And I realized just how awful we’ve been treating it.”

Jayce pulls out a map. “It was founded as a settlement for miners originally, right, so I get why the council didn’t immediately relinquish control, but I went down there yesterday, and it’s nothing like Piltover. Aside from the suffering, and the rampant drug issue, the entire city’s infrastructure is differently built. Do you know how much money goes to our sanitation department? It’s a fraction of what Zaun should be using right now, and they’re still suffering from such awful smog levels and–”

“Jayce.” She places a hand on his shoulder, and he stops. He’s started rambling, hasn’t he? “You might want to slow down.”

“Yeah.” Jayce rubs his face with a hand. He really needs to shave after this. “Yeah, you’re right. Sorry. I sometimes get hit with wild bursts of inspiration and I usually just go with it, but this time it led me to…”

“Gross miscarriages of justice?” Mel says dryly.

Jayce couldn’t stop a smile from cracking his face. “Something like that. I just… I need to do something. I can’t sit on my ass after meeting these kids face to face.” He turns. “That’s why I came to you.”

Mel blinks. Her face, perfectly proportioned, is a blank mask. “Me?”

“I can’t ask you to actually help Zaun, even if I think you should,” Jayce says with a sigh, “But I can ask you for advice. I need to help the people of the Undercity, and you’re the person to tell me how. You’re the smartest politician I know.”

Jayce watches as real delight flits across Mel’s face. It’s nice to see her be more than the carefully projected image she has sustained countless times. “To be fair, it’s not a hard title to achieve,” she says, shifting so she’s facing him. “Most politicians are outright fools.”

“True.” Jayce bites his lip. “So… you’ll help me?”

“In a sense.” Mel tilts her head. “I do ask for one honest answer, though.”

“Sure. Whatever you want.”

“Promises, promises,” Mel murmurs, and Jayce is only a human man– he can’t help the flash of arousal that snakes up his spine. Her remark has no edge, though, no true intent. Jayce is, stupidly, relieved. “What actually made you go down there?”

“Viktor.” The confession tumbles out of him. Jayce cannot lie, and he can’t keep secrets either. “I’ve been– I’ve been trying to find different things to do for Viktor, and he mentioned an old item that’s common down there, so I– I headed down to find it for him.”

“You went into the Undercity to find a single object for your science assistant?” Mel says incredulously, and that’s too much: Jayce is done with the disrespect towards Viktor.

“Partner,” he bites back. “He’s– he’s my partner.”

Mel’s eyes glimmer with satisfaction. Jayce quickly realizes that he’s played right into her hands.

“Well, that’s all the answer I need.” Mel stands up and brushes off her dress. “I will help you, Jayce– give me a week with this and I’ll figure out a way you can significantly assist members of the Undercity. I wish you best of luck with Viktor as well.”

“Luck?” he repeats. His face is burning, and he’s been hurtling towards the realization for months now, but that doesn’t make it any better; it doesn’t make the ache in his chest go away, doesn’t make him feel less pathetic as Mel gives him a sympathetic look.

“I just hope it doesn’t end in a broken heart for either of you,” she murmurs.

Jayce swallows. His heart thuds in his chest. “I…” he sighs. “Yeah, I hope so too.”

Jayce is in love with Viktor. Jayce has been in love with Viktor for god knows how long, and he’s been steadfastly ignoring it. Turns out ignorance only gets you so far, especially when you’ve been literally building a new life around yourself for that person.

“Jayce?” Viktor exclaims. Jayce can’t see his face, but he can hear his confusion. “What… what are you carrying?”

“Just some plants,” Jayce says. Or, rather, he yells it since the vase is right in front of his mouth. “Do me a favor– can you grab something and set it down? It’ll be easier once I can see in front of me.”

Viktor chuckles wryly, sending those sparks up Jayce’s spine– now that he knows the cause is incurable love for his best friend, he’s noticed them a lot more– and Jayce can’t help but grin as the vase is moved. Viktor takes the plants so gently even though they’re just succulents. He values them like they’re gold.

“Why have you brought plants to our lab?” our lab. The remark sends delight shooting through Jayce’s brain, so he’s barely able to even understand Viktor’s question.

“Oh! Thought it’d brighten up the place.” Jayce sets down the box full of future soil and a watering can. “Viktor, we both live in this place 3 days out of 7 at least– it’d be nice to have something else here, and we can’t get a pet.”

“No.” Viktor rubs his thumb across the Echeveria Elegans leaf. “No, I suppose you are right.”

“Besides. I thought you’d like them.” Jayce shrugs. “I mean, if you don’t, I can take them away, but–”

“No.” Viktor’s voice is barely more than a whisper; that shocks Jayce more than anything. Viktor is staring at this plant with such unabashed fondness that it makes Jayce’s heart clench. “No, I like them. Thank you, Jayce.”

“Yeah.” Jayce swallows. His mouth is dry, his palms are clammy, and he is head over heels for Viktor. This will probably never change. “Yeah, no problem.”

It doesn’t actually take Mel a week to research the Undercity to her satisfaction– it takes her three days. On the fourth, Jayce wakes up to incessant banging on his lab door.

Viktor had gone home at a reasonable time, so Jayce had decided to stay. He had a couple ideas about how he could potentially add light sources to the tools Viktor was using as mini-guidelights. That way, Viktor would be able to do more standing repairs with one hand instead of asking Jayce to hold the flashlight. Jayce had fallen asleep at his desk, and his back was hating him for it right now.

“Coming!” he shouts. Jayce cracks his back and opens the door. He blinks. Mel Medarda stands in front of him, and Jayce has a nagging feeling that he’s only now about to see her to her fullest extent.

“I am so very glad you brought me this, Jayce, because only in Piltover would an opportunity like this be wasted.” Mel steps past him immediately, heading to his desk. She’s holding a notebook and, oddly enough, a pair of daggers. “I try not to talk about Noxus at length, but my mother would never be so foolish to let this level of unrest ferment. Piltover is too comfortable, too complacent; a war has been brewing under your noses, and you’ve all done nothing.”

“...Oh,” is all Jayce can say. “I… I see.”

“Hm.” Mel sighs, and Jayce can see her relegate her emotions into different little boxes in order to function better. “Nevertheless, I think I know how you can help, but I’ll need you to bring me to the Undercity first.”

“Are you sure?” Is Jayce’s instinctive question, but he immediately snorts as his gaze strays towards her engraved daggers. There seems to be an old bloodstain on one of the handles. “No, sorry, of course you are. You’re probably more prepared than I am.”

Mel smiles a bit. It’s an odd, guarded thing, but Jayce finds he likes it anyway. “Learning quickly, I see. And yes, I’m sure. Lead me down there.”

Jayce obliges. He’s been to the Undercity four or five times since his original visit, now, each time an exercise in how quickly he can head in and out. He’d gone the most recent time in order to pay more than he should’ve for scrap metal. If he behaves the right way, fully plays into the wide-eyed Piltovian act, the kids he buys scrap metal from think they’re swindling him. He’s able to essentially fund their dinner for a week while they don’t think of it as pity. It’s a win-win for everything besides Jayce’s bank account, and he has enough funds from House Talis that he can ignore those complaints for a while.

Mel’s gaze is contemplative as she runs a hand on the walls of an Undercity building. She moves; her hand is covered in mud. 

“You brought a friend, then?” Ekko says judgmentally from a hiding nook above them. Mel goes to grab her daggers, but Jayce just rolls his eyes. Teenagers.

“Yes, but she’s not from Piltover. She’s from Noxus.” Jayce gestures at Mel. “Mel, meet Ekko, the leader of a gang of teens he’s taken to calling the Firelights.”

“It’s a cool name!” Ekko protests, but the message is undercut by him jumping down and standing up in his 13-year old glory. Jayce looks towards Mel, and they share a thought: we cannot let any more harm come to this child if possible.

“Firelights.” Mel tilts her head. “Tell me, is it named after a green bug?”

“Oh!” Ekko grins, and Jayce will give Mel a point for drawing out that reaction that quickly. “Yeah, it is. How’d you know that?”

“Since I’m not from Piltover, I’ve had to compensate with heavy research. I’ve learned a lot about the local flora and fauna. The name sounded familiar.”

Ekko frowns. His face is a tapestry of warring emotion, but something gives when he looks up at Jayce. “I… can I trust Mel?”

“Yes.” Jayce nods. “More than you can trust me in some ways. She knows what violence is; she’s not a bright-eyed innocent from Piltover.”

“You’re not that bad anymore,” Ekko grumbles, and Jayce can see the compliment underneath. His heart warms. “Mel, if I brought you to a tree, would you be able to tell me anything about it?”

“Most likely, yes.”

“Great. I will need you to both be blindfolded, though.”

Jayce opens his mouth– seriously, Ekko still doesn’t trust him fully? He’s probably given over 500 coins to them all– but Mel steps on his foot. He lets out a squeak instead.

“Of course, Ekko,” she says kindly.

Ekko leads them forward determinedly. Two other children, thankfully slightly older than him, carefully blindfold him and Mel. They begin to trip over themselves and head to… somewhere.

“Mel, are you sure this is a good idea?” Jayce hisses. He nearly stubs his toe on a rock. “This is still the Undercity.”

“Jayce, if you can’t trust them, trust my skills in combat.” Mel has the audacity to sound amused at his concerns, which may be fair since it’s an 11-year old holding him hostage. Jayce may be letting his instinctual fears about Zaun get to him again. “If we do run into anyone, I could easily hurt them even with this blindfold on.”

“What was your childhood even like?”

“Training, mostly. And knife-skills.”

“Okay,” Ekko announces. He raps on some metal thing a couple times, and while Jayce can’t see it, he can hear a screech and the ground rumbling as a metal door is opened.

“Alright. They can see now.”

Jayce feels tiny children’s hands scrabble to remove his blindfold. When he opens his eyes, he can’t stifle a gasp.

It’s truly beautiful. There’s a tree, spiraling towards a blue sky, green and glimmering in the sunlight. Kids are running around, laughing as others are busily working on a memorial.

Jayce turns to Ekko; his chest is puffed up in pride. “Ekko, you— you did this?”

“Well, I’ve had a lot of help,” Ekko says with a smile, gesturing to the people around him. There are some adults helping around, much to Jayce’s relief, but they all give a grateful nod to Ekko when they pass him. Jayce would be surprised at him being the leader if it wasn't Ekko. “I was just the guy they first met and trusted, so I led them here.”

“This place…” Mel steps forward and gently touches the tree. “It’s so full of life.”

“Can you help us?” Ekko’s eyes widen. For fuck’s sake, he’s a kid— his eyes are big and wobbly as he’s talking. “We’ve been doing pretty well, keeping it healthy, but we’re all worried about Silco.”

“You've mentioned his name a couple of times,” Jayce murmurs. He's having trouble focusing on anything besides the birdsong around him. “Who is he?”

Ekko’s face warps. Suddenly, he is no longer a child excited by the nature around him: he is a young man, beaten up by the world, and angry about it.

He begins to speak. Jayce listens.

“Viktor?”

“Hm?” It’s a quiet day at the lab— both Jayce and Viktor are working on rune engravings. Jayce glances over to him; the mug Jayce bought for him specifically is sitting right next to him.

“If I said I supported Zaunite independence, what would you do?”

Viktor’s tool clatters to the floor. He whirls around; his eyes are wide. “I’m— I’m sorry?”

“Zaunite independence,” Jayce repeats. “I’ve… I’ve been heading to the Undercity for the last few months, assisting a kid named Ekko with his group. Mel and I think we may be able to set up a plan to make Zaun independent eventually.”

“I— I don’t—“ Viktor, thankfully, doesn’t look angry or annoyed; he just looks confused. “Since when did you care about the Undercity?”

“Since I was friends with you,” is Jayce’s instinctive reply. “I— I don’t know if you think of it as your home, but I know I think of Piltover as mine. I went down there to actually buy something you mentioned, and it was just.. we’ve been so ignorant up here. It kind of spiraled from there.”

Viktor raises his eyebrows. “So you are now a Zaunite activist?” 

“No- god no.” Jayce laughs. “I’m still a scientist. I just asked for help from Mel, and now—“

“Mel?” Now Viktor looks fully incredulous. “Jayce, Mel is an incredibly clever woman, but she’s the richest person on the council. I don’t think she’d understand the Undercity.”

“She’s also not from Piltover,” Jayce countered. “She’s from Noxus. That’s why I chose her. All the other councilors— even Heimerdinger— are too close to Piltover to be unbiased about this.”

Viktor tilts his head. He nods slowly. “I can… I can agree with that reasoning.” His eyes are distant, unfocused.

“So?”

Viktor blinks. “So what?”

“Zaun as a city existing. Do you think it’s a good idea?”

“I don’t…” Viktor sighs. He sits down and runs a hand through his hair. Jayce’s eyes traitorously follow his fingers. “Not with the current level of shimmer. The drug distribution I have heard of must be dismantled first.”

“Alright.” Jayce taps his fingers. “Alright.”

“Why are you asking me?”

And, he has a point. Jayce has now become friendly with a handful of Undercity adults, ones who are more active there. He should’ve probably fully consulted them. However, it’s Viktor, and Jayce feels a sudden, inexplicable panic at Viktor disliking this plan. He’s not helping the Undercity for Viktor, except that he went down there for him, he’s seen Viktor’s face in all the starving children, and he’s begun to think of it as “Viktor’s home” instead of “that grimy place I live next to.” Jayce isn’t rehabilitating the Undercity for Viktor, except that he is.

“Ekko’s thirteen,” he says instead. “I can’t trust him to have actually useful political opinions.”

Viktor huffs a laugh. “Alright. Word of advice, though: do not assume all Zaunites will care about this. We are humans, too: plenty of Piltover citizens do not care what their council says. Most people just care about their daily lives.”

Jayce nods silently. It’s hard to formulate words when you realize you’ve started assisting a radical social movement because of how much you love someone. He turns back to his engraving work, and he pretends his hands aren’t shaking.

“These inventions are incredible.”

Ekko smiles. It’s been nearly a year since Jayce first met him, and he’s grown a ton in that time. He now is the de facto leader of the Firelights. Jayce is their major source of income, which isn’t difficult now that Hextech has gotten commissioned. Mel has been silently working on a proposal for the council— a large scale drug ring takedown in order to reassure the public. She says she’s been waiting for the right moment— they’ll only do this if they’re seriously scared about public unrest regarding Shimmer— but Jayce is suspicious she has a second plan formulating. She has a glint in her eyes too close to what an animal has when they’re closing in on their prey.

“Thanks.” Ekko tilts the hoverboard. “They only work in Zaun, of course, since the air density near the Fissures is different, but I thought you’d find them cool anyways.”

“Definitely.” Jayce runs an appraising hand on them. “Viktor would love these. I think-"

Ekko snorts.

Jayce frowns. “What?”

“Nothing, just…” Ekko is clearly trying not to tease him, and that makes Jayce feel even more suspicious. “I’ve started keeping a tally of how often you mention Viktor.”

“What?” Jayce squawks. “I don’t-" but then he stops, because yeah, everything amazing he sees is something he wants to show to Viktor, every goal is one done partially for Viktor, and all the faults of the Undercity are ones he wants to surpass in the name of Viktor. He probably has mentioned him a lot.

“Yep.” Ekko snickers. “Why haven’t you brought him down here yet? He’s one of us- he’s more than welcome.”

Jayce swallows. He’d like to say it’s for a selfless reason; it’d be too difficult for Viktor to walk here, or he doesn’t want Viktor to suffer another long day. The truth is, he’s afraid. The Firelights base is inspired by Viktor now. There are inventions strewn everywhere because Jayce has encouraged it in the kids. He’s found a couple succulents because they’re Viktor’s favorite plants. There’s a map of the constellations visible from this area since Viktor loves the stars. Jayce is worried that, if Viktor comes here, he’ll see all the signs of Jayce’s adoration and finally put two and two together.

“…We’ve been too busy,” Jayce says instead. Ekko’s scoff tells him all he needs; the kid clearly doesn’t believe him. “What do you actually need from me, though?”

“Oh, yeah, sorry. Got distracted.” Ekko opens a drawer. He pulls out what seems to be a bomb, but it has childish doodles on it. “I need you to find a way to open these.”

“I…” Jayce blinks. He blinks again. “Isn’t that a bomb?”

“Yep.” Ekko stretches out the last syllable. “I think I know who made it, but I’ll know for certain once you get it open.”

“And why am I doing this?”

“You’re still the most skilled tech guy out of all of us.”

Well. He can’t disagree with that.

Jayce sits down and uses the tools near him to eventually dislodge the capsule. When he opens it, there is a bomb mechanism, but there’s also heavy amounts of glitter.

Ekko sags. It looks as if someone has added a 10-ton rock onto his back. “So it is… it really is Pow— Jinx, then,” he murmurs.

“Jinx?”

“Silco’s kid.” Ekko swipes the dismantled bomb and slams it into his drawer. He turns his back so Jayce can’t see his face, but it does little: Jayce can feel the heartbreak radiating off of him. “I’d hoped she hadn’t actually started helping him blow up people, but… this was found in an area standing up to his goons. One of the Firelights brought it to me, and I don’t…” Ekko is silent for a moment. “She’s really turned.”

“How old is Jinx?”

“My age.”

So a child, then, Jayce amends in his head. “And Silco’s her dad? Or— dad equivalent, I guess.” He’s learned quickly that family members quickly die down here, so “dad” is more a role than a singular person.

“She had a real dad, and then Silco killed him,” Ekko spits. “Now he’s molded her in his image, and— and it’s awful.”

“Hey.” Jayce stands up; he gently places a hand on Ekko’s shoulder. “Once Silco is gone, we’ll help your friend. She’s just a kid.”

“She’s killed people.”

“And she’s been taken in by a drug lord. It’s not her fault, ” Jayce says firmly. He doesn’t know how much he can live up to this promise, how much he’s actually able to do, but he’s not going to abandon one of the few people Ekko seems to truly care about. 

“I…” Ekko’s eyes start watering. He wipes them as surreptitiously as possible. “Thanks, Jayce.”

“Of course.”

It takes about a week, but Jayce is able to figure out a formula to partially stabilize the Hexgems. Viktor gives him a side-hug then; it tingles up his spine.

Viktor, one night, stares into the bowl of soup Jayce has made him.

“Do you…” Jayce swallows past the nerves in his stomach. “Do you like it?”

“Jayce Talis.” Viktor looks up, and his eyes are so full of light joy that Jayce wants to dance. “This is the best fucking soup I’ve ever eaten.”

Jayce laughs. He could sustain all of Hextech from the joy in that moment.

“Your partner again?” The man harrumphs. Viktor had singed his jacket, burning off half a sleeve. “He’s very clumsy.”

“My fault this time, I’m afraid– I knocked into him while we were looking.”

“Lucky lad to have you getting his stuff repaired.”

And really, it has to be alright for Jayce to indulge in this fantasy. It’s so nice. “Yeah. I hope so.”

“I can get a strike team into Zaun to remove the majority of Shimmer places.”

Ekko’s eyes are bright as stars. He jumps up from where he’d been fixing his hoverboard. “Wait, really?”

Mel nods once. “We’re in luck– Silco overstepped very recently, and a Shimmer distribution led to a firefight in the transportation area before the Enforcers could hide it.”

“Hide it?” Jayce can’t help but ask.

Mel levels him with a look; Jayce has learned this one means please keep up. “Silco is filling the pockets of a very influential Enforcer. That’s why he’s hid under the radar so far. However, the fight broke out before Marcus could suppress it.”

“So you’ll strike now?”

“We’ll strike now.” Mel sighs. “Obviously, this has no involvement with you or the Firelights since this is me acting independently. That means that if a Firelight shows up at a shimmer outpost, I can do absolutely nothing to stop the Enforcers from attacking them. Are we clear?”

Ekko nods. “Crystal.”

“Alright then. I suppose we’re going to start dismantling a drug ring, then.” Mel’s smile sharpens. It’s at this moment that Jayce remembers his short-lived true attraction to Mel. She is more than a force to be reckoned with; that assumes she can be reckoned. Mel is as unstoppable as a hurricane when she decides to be, it seems, and Jayce is more than happy to just watch from the sidelines.

“Awesome,” Ekko breathes. He is gazing up at Mel with a decent amount of hero worship. “Janie wants you to help her make another Noxian-style shirt, if that’s alright. Will you help?”

Mel laughs, and suddenly, she is a peer instead of a goddess once again. “Of course, little one.”

Jayce smiles as Mel and Ekko leave, Ekko rambling about a technological advancement of his.

Jayce is fiddling with a number of knobs. The hex gems are very unstable, and while he and Viktor have figured out a way to make them work, he’s wondering if he can make them less likely to blow up.

“Jayce?”

“Hm?” Jayce turns on his seat and removes his goggles. “Oh, what is it?”

“What…” Viktor swallows. He is visibly unnerved. He slides over a prototype. “What is this?”

And shit. Jayce has been doing well in hiding his projects up until now. He’s kept them all in a folder in the bottom of his desk. Seems he left the one out for the greenhouse.

Ok, so, it’s a bit much. Scratch that; it’s more than a bit much, but he’s been to the Undercity over two dozen times now, and it’s so dark. It’s not just the lack of natural light; it’s the lack of plant growth. Jayce had begun to look into low-light plants after visiting, after seeing the way the Firelights had stayed by the tree as if it was a god, and he’d come to the decision that a greenhouse wouldn’t be bad.

“Oh. Uh.” Jayce cringes. “It’s for the Firelights?”

“The group Ekko runs?” 

Jayce nods, grabbing the sketch. At least it’s not one of his Viktor presents, like advanced leg massage or chocolate dessert that will take 3 days to make. Those are… embarrassing. “Yeah. They’ve found this incredible tree growing in the Undercity, and when I first saw it, it just seemed like a tree, but it’s so much more to them. It’s like– it’s like an omen, that something good can grow down there. It’s brought so much hope. I thought if there was maybe a way to increase that, to grow more stuff there, it’d help them.”

Viktor is staring at him.

“Is that a bad idea?” Jayce asks. His stomach is fluttering with nerves. He hasn’t quite gotten around to proposing this to Ekko, so he has no idea if it's even worth investing mental energy in. 

“No.” Viktor shakes his head. He hesitates.

“No, it is…” tentatively, Viktor takes Jayce’s hand. The touch is not warm like the sun; it is warm like a gentle fire. “It is an incredible idea, Jayce.”

“Oh.” it’s hard to think with Viktor staring like that, with Viktor holding his hand like that, with Viktor smiling like that… with Viktor there, period. “That’s… good,” Jayce says lamely.

“You are very kind, Jayce,” Viktor murmurs. He squeezes their joined hands. “I do not think you know how much it means to the people around you. To- to me.”

“I…” Jayce gazes at Viktor; he is smiling softly, rubbing his thumb against Jayce’s palm. It is a moment only rivaled by the first time they made the Hextech work. There is no joy greater than the one sailing through his veins right now. “That’s all I want to do, Viktor. I just– I want to help you.”

“Indeed.” Viktor drops Jayce’s hand. While it is now cold, there is still an ember of warmth there. Jayce can’t help but stare at his palm; he can still feel the imprint of Viktor’s slender fingers. “You do help me, Jayce. In more ways than you can know.”

“So do you,” Jayce blurts out without thinking. “I mean– you’re the only reason Hextech exists, Viktor. You’re the only reason I’m still here. You… you matter to me.”

Viktor turns back to him, and the grin is beautiful. It is not blinding– Viktor would never try to steal as much space as that. Instead, it is like Jayce is looking at a constellation, something composed of spots of beauty. There is a unique beauty in the curve of Viktor’s mouth– the way his mole moves– the crinkle of his eyes– all make up the grin, and all are equally important. If Jayce mapped that smile, found the equation to make that curve possible on a graph, it’d be the closest thing to the map of his heart he could make. “I know, Jayce.”

It is an odd moment, when Jayce finally sees Ekko in Piltover. They’ve known each other for a year and a half by now, but Ekko has always rejected any attempts for the two of them to meet outside of the Firelights base.

Today is different, it seems.

“Ekko?” Jayce says as he opens the lab door. He’s a bit later than usual– he’d given up and fully reheated the quiche slice for Viktor and wrapped it in foil so it’d stay warm– though that is not an explanation for why Ekko is working with Viktor.

“Hi Jayce!” Ekko waves his hand. “You really should have brought Viktor down at some point.”

“Yes, Jayce,” Viktor says mildly, but Jayce can hear the teasing in his tone. “Why didn’t you show me the Firelights base? Ekko has mentioned some of its aspects; it sounds lovely.”

“Ha! Well.” Jayce rubs the back of his neck. “I didn’t even mean to be part of it, originally. It just kind of… happened?”

“Only you, Jayce,” Viktor murmurs, and that low, sultry tone is really doing something to Jayce, that’s for sure. “Only you.”

Ekko coughs. “Anyways, I’m here on behalf of Mel. Kind of.”

“Kind of?”

“Silco’s onto her.” Ekko’s face flashes darker, and Jayce feels the guilt settle into his chest. He may have tried, but he still wasn’t able to stop Ekko from growing up even more since he first met him. Ekko has the maturity of an adult, and he’s only about 14– it breaks Jayce’s heart. There is nothing he can do besides try and help others, though; Ekko would punch him if he just wallowed in the guilt. “Now that Marcus has been fired and major Shimmer districts have been destroyed, he’s panicking. He’s trying to trail her, get her killed.”

“Oh my god.” It hits Jayce just how serious this all is. He’s been able to keep the illusion of helping a couple kids out for the last year and a half, but now he can’t anymore. He’s, in one way or another, majorly involved with a political drama that may fundamentally restructure how all of Piltover works.  

Jayce feels panic creep in. From Viktor’s glance, he’s not doing too well at hiding it. He decides to divert before Ekko notices anything, though. “Is she going to be alright?”

“She should be, yeah. She is a Noxian; fighting comes naturally for her.” Ekko shrugs. “Plus, if things go well, negotiations for an independent Zaun should begin in a week.”

Jayce shoots up. “Actually?”

“Silco and I may not agree on much, but we both think Piltover should be out of our business. Mel is going to offer him that, and he’ll agree.” Ekko smiles. “Then me and the Firelights can properly figure out a way to kick Silco’s butt.”

“A very good plan, Ekko,” Viktor says warmly. “And incredible technological thinking– a hoverboard like this would have saved much time for many of my friends in the Undercity.”

Friends. Viktor hasn’t mentioned any Undercity friends since getting here, but then Jayce remembers the few times Viktor has told him he wasn’t doing any science– it was to visit graves. Were his friends there? Did they maybe leave? Why didn’t Viktor talk about them?

Maybe because Jayce couldn’t understand. Maybe because Viktor seemed to view loss as sad, but inevitable, and the idea of losing anyone Jayce cared about sent a shot of panic through his heart. Maybe that.

Jayce shakes off his inner musings. Ekko and Viktor continue to talk excitedly– mostly Viktor encouraging certain modifications, and Ekko nodding seriously as he listens and modifies.

Jayce smiles. He places the slice of quiche next to Viktor, and he studiously ignores Ekko’s knowing look.

“So. Viktor.”

“What about Viktor?” It’s the final days of taking down Silco, if Ekko is to be believed. Jayce doesn’t quite know whether or not he’s right. He knows that drug-lord Silco with his chem barons has no chance of survival in the next few months, but Mel had told him early on that the only way to keep the remaining drug lords from fighting was to keep Silco as a figurehead. “It’s like a hydra– if we cut off one head, two take its place. Besides, he used to have dreams of uniting the Undercity. I’m certain he still will.”

Jayce isn’t going to tell Ekko that quite yet. He’s already so angry over Silco, angry over what Silco’s done to one of his only true friends. Mel promised to explain it to Ekko when the time is right; he trusts Mel.

“You two are partners, right?” Ekko waves a screwdriver around. He’s building more hoverboards for the rest of Firelights. An actual group with a true structure is growing, and Ekko is unsurprisingly the leader. It hasn’t even been 2 years since Jayce met this kid, and he’s already started to grow into someone who would be able to transform the Undercity. Jayce can’t help but be proud.

“Lab partners,” Jayce agrees.

“And?”

Jayce glares at Ekko. Ekko raises his hands up in surrender, but the smirk on the kid’s face says everything. “There is no and, Ekko. There’s just Viktor and I working on Hextech.”

“And you making breakfast for him. And making his cane. And structuring half of the Firelights base around him. And–”

“You’ve made your point. What do you want?”

“Just wondering if that’s why you haven’t brought him down here.” Ekko shrugs. “I may not understand adults, but I know what it looks like when a guy hasn’t told someone he loves them. Are you afraid he’ll know if he sees what you’ve done for him down here?”

“I…” Trust Ekko to get to the heart of the problem so concisely. “Yeah. I guess that’s it.”

“Then you have to tell him. In a week, actually.”

Jayce whirls around. The screwdriver is clenched so tightly in his fist that he wouldn’t be surprised if it started to fracture. “What.”

“Look.” Ekko turns to him, and it’s the serious leader of the Firelights gang, not the kid teasing Jayce just a few seconds earlier. “With Silco’s drug ring disbanded soon, I’m going to need more hands helping us with Shimmer rehabilitation. No offense, Jayce, but you do your best work with Viktor, and I’m going to be asking you guys to figure out some device to extract Shimmer from people.”

“Is that– is that even possible?”

“Machines being able to harness magic wasn’t possible until you two did it. I know you guys could figure it out.”

“Why do– why do I have to tell Viktor that I– why do I have to tell him?” Jayce sputters. 

“Because he needs to be down here to help people,” Ekko says firmly, “and I can’t have you acting awkward around him while he’s doing his work. If you think you can hide it well, fine. But you’ve been avoiding bringing him here because of your feelings, so I think you should just bite the bullet and tell him.”

“I…” Jayce sighs. “Fine.”

“Fine? You’re going to tell him?”

“What?” Jayce laughs. “No. I’ll just bring him down here with me once Silco’s drug ring is actually disbanded. I’ll be normal about it. I promise.”

Ekko rolls his eyes, but he doesn’t continue to protest, which is the best Jayce can ask for.

Jayce learns of Mel’s success not from Ekko, but from Mel herself. She’s outside the Hextech lab one night with a guest. He has a scarred side of his face, and Jayce feels fear chill his spine at the sight.

“Mel? And…” 

The guest tilts his head. “Silco.”

“Silco.” Jayce can only hope his utter disdain does not reflect in his tone. “What are you doing out here?”

Mel levels him with a look; trust me. Trust me, please, it says, and Jayce has to bite his lip. She has only been dragged into this mess because of him. He raises his eyebrows and inclines his head; you owe me, it says, but he walks forward nonetheless. 

“I’m here to show the incredible education you two have to offer,” Mel says. As Jayce is about to open his mouth to say… something, a figure steps out from behind Silco. She is clearly a teenager, and Silco’s working eye softens at the sight.

“You’re not from Zaun,” the girl says with a sniff. “Mel promised an Undercity scientist.”

“Oh.” Suddenly, it makes far more sense. Jayce turns to face her. “You’re Jinx, aren’t you?”

Jinx blinks. She frowns, and her hand is in a pocket that almost certainly has a dagger. “How do you know who I am?”

“I got to see one of your bombs. I assume it was yours; it had a drawing of the shark teeth on it.”

“Oh.” Jinx exhales, and she removes her hand. Jayce can’t suppress a sigh of relief. “Yeah, that’s mine.”

“It was very well made.” Jayce very pointedly does not turn to Silco and say great job encouraging a child to make fucking bombs, genius, and decides to continue talking about engineering. “Disarming it was a real challenge.”

“Really?” Jinx breathes, and she is definitely the friend Ekko talked about; there is such sheer childish delight in her eyes. Jayce’s heart warms, then he sees Silco smile fondly at her. The smile makes him uneasy. “They used to never work!”

“I wouldn’t have known. Are you here to ask Viktor for help with… some engineering?” He will not say bomb-making, damn it.

“Mel promised that a Zaunite scientist could assist in teaching Jinx more about technology,” Silco interjects. His good eye roams Jayce, clearly sizing him up as a threat. Jayce is strong; he’s buff; he has at least two separate items that could be used as weapons on him. Nevertheless, he knows, without a doubt, he is not a threat to this man. “You aren’t him, of course, but you seem to be good with children.”

“I was funded by– by a family up here, and they have a kid a little bit older than Jinx.” Before Silco can ask who and Jayce accidentally anger the man, he gets a set of keys out to unlock the workshop. Thank the gods he and Viktor have agreed to always lock up all Hextech stuff in a separate, blast-proof cabinet whenever neither of them are in. “She's not as technologically smart as Jinx, but I'm friendly with her.”

“Charming,” Silco says drily. Before he can question, or prod, or perhaps try and kill everyone at once, Jayce gets the door open. Jinx’s gasp of delight cuts off any awful remarks that are brewing.

“Oh. my. God,” she exclaims. She begins to run around, and Jayce has to freeze at the look of delight on Silco’s face. So far, all his expression had all been oily; this is mine, don’t you dare touch it. Now, Silco is truly looking at Jinx with an expression Jayce can only call parental love. His entire demeanor has softened. If it weren’t for Jayce’s background knowledge on the man, he’d call it sweet.

Silco turns to him. “You truly work with a Zaunite scientist?”

“Yes. His name is Viktor. He’s the only reason I’m able to do anything today.” Jayce sighs. His memories fall back to when he’d almost jumped, when the only thing stopping him had been the accented voice of a fellow peer. “He’s… he’s a genius. Without him, I’d be dead or worse. All my work, all my proposals would be nothing without Viktor.”

“I see.” Silco tilts his head. “What… work have you been doing? Besides Hextech, of course. Oh, don’t be so surprised,” he says as Jayce’s mouth falls open. “I have done my research.”

“Well.” Jayce searches— his eyes catch on the succulent. He runs over to his desk and pulls out the greenhouse design he and Viktor have spent months working on. “I’ve been thinking about a way to bring more plant life to Zaun, actually.”

Jayce explains the thinking him and Viktor have done– ways to filter out the leftover toxins in the air, cuttings of glass that will be able to capture light, water filtration devices that can be installed into places other than the greenhouse– and he watches as Silco’s face cycles from judgment to confusion, actual thankfulness, and then resentment. Jayce can’t help but feel a little smug as he sees Silco’s face fall when the proposal is done. Both of them know Jayce has created something useful for the Undercity; Silco does not like that one bit.

“Ooh!” Jinx stands over the table and points at one of the sketches. “Would I be able to grow belladonna there?”

Of course she wants to grow a poison. “This one is supposed to be a community garden, so no, but I assume SIlco would want a separate one.” Jayce levels his gaze with Silco, letting just a bit of a smirk crawl up his face.

Silco narrows his eyes, but his voice is perfectly cordial. “Yes, of course, Jinx. We’ll get a separate greenhouse for the den.”

“Cool!”

“I am afraid we do have to leave now, Mr. Talis, if your assistant isn’t going to show up.”

“He’s not my assistant, he’s my partner,” Jayce says tiredly on instinct. He’d think people would remember this. “He’s my partner. I’m tired of– Who said he was my assistant?”

“Oh, you know how Piltover gossip is.” Silco turns back to him; the grin is razor-sharp, worse than Mel’s. At least Mel’s has a kindness- he wears a smile that will slit your throat. “When I heard the renowned Jayce Talis was romantically involved with a person, I’d never have expected it to be a Zaunite.”

“He– we’re not–”

“Oh.” Silco’s grin grows; it’s a shark smile, no doubt. He’s caught Jayce’s weakness, and if he isn’t taken out, Jayce knows it’ll be used against him. He just has to trust Mel. “Of course not. My mistake. Come on, Jinx; if we aren’t back soon, who knows what Sevika will have gambled away this time.”

“Ugh.” Jinx groans and walks up to Silco. His smile softens, and if Jayce hadn’t just seen the true Silco, he could’ve mistaken the two of them for any father and daughter. “Seriously, I don’t get why you let her stick around! She’s sooo–”

The door shuts. Jayce pretends his hands aren’t trembling.

Mel gently places a hand on his shoulder. “Jayce, are you…” 

“You’re going to get rid of him, right?” Jayce mutters. “I don’t– you have to. You have to.”

“I will,” she murmurs. “I promise.”

“Good. Good.” Jayce combs a hand through his hair, relaxing his back, his muscles, trying not to be so stressed. He somewhat succeeds. “I just– I can’t have him hurt Viktor to try and manipulate me. That’s not…”

“That will not happen,” Mel says sharply. “If Silco lives after all of this, if he’s even free, I will see him defanged.”

“I know. I trust you.”

“Hm.” Mel smiles; she pats his shoulder once. She walks away, the rising sun showing off her golden makeup. “I’ll repay it well, I promise you. Oh, and you can tell Ekko that Zaun is an independent nation now.”

Jayce drops his blueprints as the door shuts. Holy fuck.

It takes less than an hour for Ekko to run to the lab and celebrate with Jayce. Apparently, just moments after this was announced, Silco disappeared. He looks sad (“I know Jinx is going to look for him,” is his only explanation) but his general demeanor is one of true delight.

Viktor arrives an hour later than usual. Jayce has already brewed him a cup of his favorite blend and picked up his favorite breakfast from the coffee shop.

“What is this I hear about an independent Zaun?” he says warily.

“Morning!” Jayce waves him over. “And yes, that’s all thanks to Mel. she’s been… on a mission, recently.”

“I have noticed.” Viktor picks up the mug with one hand, leaning on his crutch with the other; he hesitates. “Is it… is it true? Have the council really allowed the Undercity to become independent?”

“Yeah. They have. With lots of provisions, of course, like that we get no tariffs on imported goods, etc, etc, but they’re getting a separate council of their own. Silco was supposed to lead, of course, but he’s disappeared– thankfully– and now I’m pretty sure Ekko’s propping up one of the adults from the Firelights commune for now. It’s a bit wild, but…” Jayce trails off.

Viktor’s arm is shaking. His coffee is spilling onto his hands.

“Shit, ” Jayce curses. He rushes over and gets Viktor a seat. He grabs a couple bandages, some ointment, and kneels next to him. 

“I don’t understand,” Viktor says absently. 

Jayce carefully patches up his hands. Viktor’s hands are lightly callused from all their engineering work; Jayce has to actively resist the urge to stroke his thumb against Viktor’s palm. “I think it’s because Mel’s there, really. When she first talked to me, she told me ‘a war was brewing right under our noses.' I think she’s trying to stop that before it gets out of hand.”

“I…” Viktor finally looks at Jayce; he really looks at him, eyes roaming up and down. Jayce doesn’t know what he fails to be, only that Viktor sighs and deflates just a bit. “I see.”

“I know it’s not out of stalwart morals or anything, but it’s good in the end.”

“Indeed.” Viktor’s mouth shifts into a humorless grimace. “I just wish it did not take an outsider to realize something all of Piltover should have known years ago.”

“That’s…” Jayce swallows back all his defenses of Piltover. “That’s fair.”

“Hm.”

“Hm what?”

“It is just curious.” Viktor chuckles, and he takes Jayce’s hand that is putting bandages on gently. Jayce freezes. “I never thought of myself as patriotic, but now that the Undercity is independent, I find myself fond of the place.”

“Well,” Jayce croaks out, eyes stuck on where their hands are linked. “Priorities are set straight when things are resolved, I guess.”

“Yes,” Viktor murmurs. He uses his other hand and grazes Jayce's chin so gently, lifting him up. Jayce gasps. “Yes, I suppose it is.”

Viktor brings his lips to his. Jayce whimpers, just a bit, before scrabbling up and mashing Viktor’s face closer. It’s inelegant and their teeth clack and Jayce nearly splits his lip, but he is filled with ecstasy.

“You have…” Jayce murmurs, kissing Viktor's cheek, his jaw, his neck, running his hands up and down Viktor’s sides. “No idea how long I’ve wanted this.”

“Neither do you, Jayce,” Viktor says breathily. “I can’t– we’re at the lab.”

Jayce’s hands, which had been skimming Viktor’s belt, stop. He… may have a point. “I guess we’re now going to practice proper lab safety then?” he grumbles. He lets his head fall into the crook of Viktor’s neck with disappointment.

Viktor laughs. It is a bright sound. “Yes, I suppose we are. However, I do know your apartment is far closer to here than mine, and I do not think we could get any work done today.”

“That.” Jayce kisses his cheek quickly, pulling Viktor’s arm and grabbing his cane in one fell swoop. “That, I can agree on.”

They aren’t silent as Jayce walks Viktor to the home. There’s so much to talk about– the Silco interaction, for one, which is far easier to explain now that he’s seemingly disappeared.

“Really?” Viktor frowns. It’s, unfortunately, kind of adorable. “Mel thought I would be best for teaching Jinx?”

“I mean, you’re both from the Undercity. I think that’s the main reasoning.”

“Yes, but…” Viktor worries his lip. Jayce can’t help but suppress a light chuckle. “I’m not good with children.”

Jayce snorts.

“No, Jayce, I am serious. Heimerdinger stopped allowing me to teach at the academy because of it.”

Jayce is fully laughing, now, his shoulder shaking. He barely manages to get the keys to his apartment out as he wheezes, “you were such a bad teacher that Heimerdinger noticed? Seriously?”

“I was not bad!” Viktor exclaims. “I was just– I do not tolerate stupidity in my classroom!”

“Viktor.” Jayce sighs, but it’s incredibly fond, even to his ears. He opens the door. “That’s what teaching is about; allowing stupidity to make people become better.”

“Yes, well–” Viktor sputters. He steps over some of the items littered in Jayce’s hallway; Jayce realizes he hasn’t properly cleaned up in months. “I did not expect such high levels of stupidity in the Academy. I can understand it with 14-year olds, but these students were fools, Jayce, and they were learning from the best and brightest!”

“Whatever you say, V,” Jayce says with a smile. He heads to the kitchen so he can grab a drink before they… do something. It’s odd; Jayce hasn’t ever properly dated anyone, and he doesn’t know how it’s supposed to work. If it was just a hookup, he’d be nudging Viktor to take him into the bedroom, but he wants Viktor more than that. He wants Viktor in every possible way. Are they supposed to talk about labels? The future of Hextech, now that they’re involved? It’s all very confusing, and Jayce has no idea what he’s supposed to do. He does know that he’s thirsty, however, so he’s going to grab a drink.

Jayce’s home is nothing to be in awe of— it’s a small flat, bought for the purpose of being near their lab. He’s mostly just aware of all the clutter getting in the way of Viktor’s cane. He’d hoped it’d be better once they got past the hallway; it isn’t. He didn’t clean up his multiple mini-experiments before heading over, and it’s making cooking cleanup a real endeavor.

“Make yourself at home, if you can,” Jayce jokes. He picks up a bundle of papers and drops them into a stack. He’ll sort it later. “I know, I know, I talk a lot about a work-life balance, meanwhile I’m bringing home all these projects and…”

“Jayce?”

“Yeah?” Jayce’s eyes fall on the cutting board he left out. He could probably do a quick stir fry, actually, something easy and delicious. Viktor hadn’t taken a single bite from the pastries he’d gotten from the coffee shop, and Jayce has been up for about 5 hours since breakfast, now. Plus, it’d be a good way to talk. While Jayce would rather mouth reverence along Viktor’s collarbone and tangle his hands in his hair, it’s probably a good idea to discuss it all.

“What are these?”

“Hm?” Jayce turns. He drops the cutting board as he sees Viktor holding his folder titled Viktor.

Well, shit.

“It’s…” Jayce’s mouth flops open and close like a fish. “I…”

Viktor raises a single eyebrow; the judgement in his face is clear. He opens the folder, slowly, carefully, giving Jayce every possible moment to try and stop him.

Jayce doesn’t.

Viktor blinks as he grabs one of the first papers. It’s a more recent one; a recipe for a chocolate opera cake that Jayce was thinking of making once Zaun was truly independent. It has scribbles on the side in Jayce’s handwriting of “too heavy? Viktor prefers lighter desserts.”  

He takes out the next one. It’s a modified version of the tools Jayce had given him so many years ago, one that has been re-done over and over again to make it ideal for Hextech. There are at least a dozen small remarks Jayce wrote to himself on it, about how Viktor doesn’t like the feel of that plastic or remember he’s primarily working on rune theory– switch to different project for now?

He goes to the next one. It’s Jayce’s notes on his favorite coffee, done after 3 weeks of experimentation. Jayce had concluded it was sweetmilk laced with coffee instead of the other way around, along with a little bit of cocoa.

Viktor’s eyes continually widen as he goes through the files– there’s the greenhouse, the astronomy books, the quiche recipe, the notes on different types of plants, the jacket repairs, the notes on the fucking politics of Zaun. it’s… a lot for Jayce to see, and he’s the one who did all of it.

After an excruciating minute, Viktor looks up at him. His eyes are unreadable. “This… this was all for me?”

“I…” Jayce swallows. “Yeah. Yeah, it was.”

“The greenhouse?”

“I noticed how much you liked the plants.”

“The cooking?”

“You don’t eat much unless I place it in front of you.”

“the nation of Zaun?”  

“That… was started because of you, but it spiraled,” Jayce admits with a sigh. He can’t look Viktor in the eye right now. Viktor has just found his heart on a table and rifled through it to his heart’s content. Nothing matters more to Jayce than Viktor, and nothing Jayce did showed that more than what he gave. Jayce loves Viktor to the point of creation, to the point of invention: he would build a home from dust and dirt if Viktor asked. Seeing Viktor openly rifle through his confessions was… heart-wrenching. “I went down to Zaun for you, but I met Ekko, and he showed me how bad it was. I saw all these kids who were starving and homeless and I just… I thought of you. I thought of how you grew up, and I realized I didn’t want to be the guy who looked away.”

“All of this?” Viktor repeats. Jayce can’t see his expression, but it seems like he doesn’t believe it. Jayce, bizarrely, wants to laugh. “All of this was for me?”

“Yes. It was.” Jayce swallows and turns further away. “I understand if you’re uncomfortable with it, I just had to–”

He had to what, exactly? Jayce never needed to gift this stuff to Viktor. He was never forced to. But he did it anyways.

“I had to tell you, somehow,” is what falls out of Jayce’s mouth. “It was eating me up from the inside, Viktor. I had all this– all this love for you, and I needed it to go somewhere before it exploded. I put it in all these things instead.”

“Jayce.”

“What?” Jayce snaps, but he freezes up as Viktor tenderly places a hand on his shoulder.

“I would rather have this conversation face-to-face, not with your back turned to me.” Viktor’s tone is gentle, humorous. Even if it wasn’t, even if Viktor hated him right now, Jayce would’ve listened. He is helpless under Viktor’s hands; Viktor has made him the way he is now, even without trying. God help him trying to directly resist Viktor’s pleas.

Jayce turns. Viktor’s eyes are full of enough love to send a shot through his chest. It’s as if all the air has been knocked out of his lungs, as if there’s nothing left. Jayce shudders as Viktor puts his hand on his cheek.

“I’ve loved you for over a year, Jayce,” Viktor murmurs, and holy fuck did Jayce need more warning for that. He’d collapse on the floor if it weren’t for the way Viktor was holding his head up right now. “I had not… I knew you cared, I knew you even found me attractive, perhaps, but I was worried the extent of my feelings was not reciprocated. What a fool I was.”

“Of course I love you too,” Jayce blurts out. He moves his hand so it’s holding Viktor’s hand on his cheek. “I can’t– you’re everything to me, Viktor. Everything.”

“I can see that. I doubt anyone would build me a home in the Undercity otherwise.” Viktor gestures his head towards the paper called Firelights base– stuff to add that’s all things Viktor likes. Jayce flushes. “You are truly remarkable, Jayce Talis.”

Jayce opens his mouth– he wants to say something. If it hadn’t been for you, I’d be dead for nearly 4 years by now, but instead I’m living the best possible life I could’ve imagined. I have built objects for you over and over. Can it be called worship if all I want is you happy, if all I can imagine is you alive and well, or is it simply love? I would carve a new leg for you from stone if you asked me to, move the heavens and Earth, but since I can’t, I’ll make you dinner every night instead. Instead, he leans forward and kisses Viktor, hoping all the sentiments pour out that way instead.

Viktor gasps softly into his mouth. Jayce’s mind goes a fuzzy blank; he picks Viktor up with his hands, carrying him, and goes to his bedroom.

“Jayce, I don’t–” Viktor groans as Jayce begins to take off his shirt, his fingers skimming Viktor’s stomach. “How do I repay you?”

“By being happy,” is Jayce’s answer. He places Viktor on the bed and sinks to his knees. “I just… tell me what to do. Please.”

Viktor’s mouth is slightly open, but he nods. Jayce is happy to listen to his every word.

“You know, if it were anyone else, I would consider your behavior obsessive,” Viktor murmurs. He is resting his head on Jayce’s stomach; Jayce is playing with his hair absentmindedly.

“I… don’t think I can disagree,” Jayce says after a moment. “I just– I’m not good at hiding things. I needed you to know.”

“And I did. I do,” Viktor corrects, “But it will be difficult for me to live up to this, now. You have built me a home in all but name from your love. I will have to find a way to repay that.”

“You don’t need to, V.”

“I want to.” Viktor’s eyes glint a bit in the sun. “If I could do that simply by having the best sex of my life over and over again, I would, but I think I will need to put in more work.”

“That was really good sex,” Jayce murmurs. God. “We should’ve started doing this years ago.”

“I doubt Hextech would’ve been invented, then. I know I would not have been able to focus.”

“Yeah.” Jayce sighs. “Yeah, you’re right.”

“So?” Viktor turns to look up at Jayce. He’s delightfully disheveled, his chest bare and his neck sprinkled with hickeys. “What is it you want most in the world, Jayce Talis?”

“You, I guess.” Jayce shrugs. “Besides that, I really don’t know. Science. To continue working with you on Hextech until the end. If I can wake up every day knowing you’ll be there at the end, I’d consider that more than enough.”

“Hm.” Viktor smirks. “And yet you never considered it would be the same for me.”

Jayce frowns. “What– what do you mean?”

“You fool.” Jayce wants to be offended, but Viktor gently clasps his cheek, so his protests die on his lips. “Did you really think I would not feel the same way? I do not need a greenhouse, or the nation of Zaun, for god’s sake. I just need you.”

And, well. Jayce’s throat clogs up at that. “I… I don’t think I considered that,” he says weakly. “But thanks for telling me.”

Viktor rolls his eyes; he shifts up so he’s leaning closer to Jayce, face-to-face. “Thanks, he says, after I pour my heart out on a platter for him, telling him he’s all I need, and–”

Jayce laughs. It spills out of him, and it’s golden. He could live forever in this moment. Since he can’t, he simply kisses Viktor instead, relishing in the way Viktor shuts up immediately. The light casts a golden glow on the moment, and Jayce falls into the love surrounding him.