Chapter Text
Viktor stirred awake, panting, and trying to blink away the horrific images that were playing behind his eyelids moments ago. His nape and hairline were damp with a thin layer of cold sweat. He was home. Everyone was safe. He hadn't hurt anybody, Viktor reminded himself silently.
The reoccurring nightmares still haunted him often, though they didn't induce paralyzing panic attacks or send Viktor rushing to the bathroom to hurl his guts out anymore. Viktor was not expecting the images of decaying white shells of the people he had trapped into the arcane's claws to ever truly leave him. He wasn't sure he wanted them to.
These days, he was merely jerked awake, not violently enough to wake his partner up who snored softly next to him. His body had finally gotten used to the new world they now called home. To being safe and loved. The darkness no longer swallowed Viktor in its tight, freezing clutch. Not when sunshine-incarnate dozed beside him.
Jayce mumbled something in his sleep, his body sensing his partner's mild distress. His partner in science and life, fully intuned with Viktor's body.
Viktor rolled to his side, scooting closer to the source of the delicious heat under the covers; his partner's body.
"I know... sorry," he whispered, knowing Jayce was too out of it to register the words eitherway. All Jayce needed to hear was Viktor's voice, soft as it was, to reach a heavy arm blindly and pull Viktor into his scorching chest. Viktor nuzzled his face into the crook of Jayce's neck, breathing in the faint scent of his partner's cologne underneath the natural musk of his body.
Was there ever more to this mortal life, Viktor wondered. Was there ever a better feeling than hiding yourself in the warm, protective embrace of the man who would follow you to death?
He threw his leg over Jayce's hip to keep it elevated, their bodies utterly entangled. Not even a grain of rice could squeeze between them. Not a strand of hair. Jayce held him tightly, even in sleep, not letting Viktor slip away. Eventually, sleep began to tug at Viktor's eyelids. Jayce's body-heat had done its magic. No other nightmare reached Viktor the rest of the night. Not when he wore the shield of Jayce's strong body around him.
When Viktor woke again, the sun was up. The harsh morning light filtered through the thin blinds, illuminating their room in a soft golden light. Viktor basked in the warmth of it for a few moments before cracking his eyes open.
Their positions had somehow reversed during the night, a tangled mess of long arms and legs. Jayce's face was pressed right beneath Viktor's collar bone, his skin burning so hot that Viktor was almost certain there would be a brand in the shape of his partner's face burned into his skin. Sometimes Viktor wondered why the man even needed a forge to melt iron when his own blood seemed to be molten hot 24/7.
Viktor carded his fingers through the long strands of Jayce's dark brown hair, enjoying the last few moments of peace and silence before his over-sized puppy woke up.
Five years was not a long time, in the grand scheme of things. However, their achievements during those years were quite significant. As it turned out, their knowledge of the events of the next decade could be far more beneficial to Piltover and Zaun combined than Hextech ever was.
With a little bit of help from the folks in the Undercity and the Kiramens, the mayor was caught and charged with treason. Imprisoned for life. That was the first brick in the domino effect that followed. New alliances were made with Vander to unite and empower Zaun. Doctor Reveck was captured next. Viktor gave away the location of his secret lab, but did not stay to watch as the man was dragged away in cuffs. He never wanted to see the horrors inside that lab again.
With Reveck gone and Silco in hiding, Shimmer's manufacture and distribution was halted for good. That achievement earned Jayce a seat at the table, to become a councilor once more, but this time, Jayce turned them down. He insisted that it was Vander who deserved that spot, to become an active representative from Zaun. Jayce only agreed to consult the council every now and then. He wanted his primary focus to remain in the lab, with Viktor, where they both truly belonged.
Despite their best efforts, Silco seemed to have escaped. They would catch him eventually. Without Shimmer and Singed, he had no allies to regroup with. And if he truly wanted a better future for Zaun, he would stand down.
More corrupted leaders and politicians were impeached, and held accountable for their actions; withholding resources from the Undercity and unfair distribution of necessary goods and ties to the black market.
Laws were rewritten to penalize discrimination against Zaunites. No one would ever treat them as expandable, as pieces that could be easily thrown away once they served their purpose to the topsiders. Miner's wages were raised and work conditions were improved. More resources were allocated for research into Zaun's air and water pollution and ways to prevent and reverse them.
So much had already improved, and more plans were in motion, with Jayce and him at the center. It was everything Viktor had dreamed of for them and more, and not a drop of magic was used to achieve it.
Jayce's stubble tickled Viktor's chest as he stirred awake. Breathing long and deep, Jayce stretched his legs, his feet poking out the end of the covers and dangling off the bed. He truly was a giant, barely fitting his 6 feet something height in their bed, the largest they could find in the market. Viktor kept joking that he should forge them a custom bedframe, and Jayce was going to do it. Eventually.
"Good morning," Viktor rasped, combing his fingers through Jayce's wild, knotted hair.
Jayce's good morning came in the shape of a tender kiss pressed In the center of Viktor's chest, a few inches higher than his sternum. Viktor's poor heart gave a shudder, a pink flush spreading across his pale, freckled chest.
"Jayce...?"
The younger man merely hummed, his lips remaining pressed against Viktor's flushed skin as he begins training them lower and lower.
Viktor curses under his breath, his fingers tightening around the soft locks of Jayce's hair. "Don't you have an important meeting this morning?"
Jayce let out a frustrated groan before pulling the blanket over his head, hiding as he continued with his ministrations.
Viktor jabbed his knee into his flank, sending Jayce across the bed, curled into a fetal position.
"So... mean..." he whimpered, a bit overdramatic.
"Get up. You do not want to be a mess to meet counsilor Medarda," he said with a bitter bite to his words that did not get past Jayce's groggy brain.
Jayce pushed his head out of the blanket, grinning from ear to ear. "You're jealous?"
Viktor rolled his eyes, fighting the urge to cross his arms across his chest petulantly. "Of course not."
"You are!" Jayce exclaimed, like he had made a scientific discovery. He crawled closer to Viktor, propping himself up on his elbow. "why?"
The earnestness in his voice was astonishing. Viktor could hardly believe he was being serious.
"Why would my partner having long, closed-door meetings with a person he previously had a heated romantic relationship with bother me? how silly of me." Viktor threw his hands up, not meeting Jayce's face. He wasn't proud of this, feeling so small and insecure when it came to Mel.
Jayce's eyes softened, dripping with warm honey, and Viktor wanted to drown into them.
"V... That was another life. Literally." He reached a hand to force Viktor's face to tilt in his direction. "You know I would never... Neither would she. Not when she knows I am married."
Viktor trained his eyes downward, too embarrassed to meet Jayce's tender gaze. "I know."
"V, look," Jayce said firmly, while remaining gentle with his word. "I am not going to insult your intelligence by saying that there was never any affection between me and her."
Viktor's breath was caught in his throat, his eyes flickering frantically between Jayce's warm, hazel ones. He remembered Jayce stumbling into the lab late at night after a party, reeking of the sweet, floral scent of her perfume, drunk on more than just champagne.
"But... My heart was always yours. The whole entirety of it," Jayce confessed, his intense gaze holding Viktor's wide eyes.
Jayce's face crowded his, inching closer with every shallow breath. Viktor wet his parted lips, his gaze flickering between Jayce's eyes and lips. The younger's eyes fluttered shut, leaning in for a kiss they were both yearning for when a flick of Viktor's fingers between his brows sent him rolling over in pain.
"That is what you get when you talk nonsense first thing in the morning," Viktor chided as he pushed himself up to seated.
"Ouch! that really hurt..." Jayce pouted. Viktor could tell even without seeing his face.
"That was the point. Enough chit chat. I also have an important meeting today," Viktor announced as he reached for his brand new leg braces. Time was finally catching up to him once again. No matter how careful he was, it was inevitable. Jayce had made him the braces months before Viktor knew he would need them when he did. The new design, while similar to the old one from their previous life and in the color scheme, was much improved.
"Oh? with who?" Jayce asked, finally getting up himself. He began stretching in front of Jayce. Like Viktor would fall for a low trick like that.
"Vander. I need to show him some new blue prints and discuss strategies about the sewage situation," Viktor replied mindlessly, his eyes following the long lines of Jayce's body as he stretched his arms above his head, prominent muscles rippling through his glowing tan skin. While not fully immune to Jayce's physical charms, Viktor's self-control was not so easily shaken.
"So you're having a meeting with someone attractive too," Jayce grinned, showing off his stupid sharp canines as he pulled his arms across his chest, stretching his traps.
"I never had an affair with Vander. I didn't even know him before." Viktor stood up, his brace fastened securely on his legs, giving him near complete stability and control over his bad leg. He tried to make himself taller, wanting to wipe that mischievous grin off his partner's stupidly gorgeous mouth.
"So you agree," Jayce breathed, leaning in to whisper into Viktor's ear. His hot breath tickled Viktor's sensitive ear lobe, making the hair on his nape stand up. "That he's attractive."
Viktor's blood boiled, his hands rising to push at Jayce's chest, but the other was quicker, capturing Viktor's smaller wrists in a swift motion.
"I have a proposition." Jayce purred. "Why don't you mark me before I leave for my meeting? This way, no one gets any ideas about me being available for the taking."
"Don't be ridiculous, Jayce, let me go," Viktor feigned annoyance, hiding his arousal behind faux exasperation.
Jayce released his wrists only to snake his arms around Viktor's middle, pulling their hips flushed against each other.
"No? I think that spot right between my ear and my jaw is perfect, don't you?" Jayce's voice was low and playful, and the hardness in his boxers was not lying about how serious he was.
Viktor was panting, his arms held up frozen mid-air, trying to catch his breath. Jayce's arms loosened from his waist, tilting his head to the side as he nearly took a step back. "It's fine if you don't want t—"
"Stop. Talking." Viktor punctuated, hooking his hands behind Jayce's neck, yanking him down. Lips parted and teeth bared, Viktor was ready to make a point.
..
The bathysphere ride to and back from Zaun was much smoother than it was in their original timeline. Viktor could never get used to it; how different everything was. The old, rattling cable car was recently switched to a newer one. It ran twice as fast too.
Viktor forwent hailing a carriage back to downtown. The park was not that far, and it had been a while since Viktor had had the chance to truly stretched his legs. He could use the exercise. Or maybe he just wanted to enjoy walking on his own while he still could.
Seeing Vander and the kids was always a delight. Ekko and Powder, young as they were, had made a true difference down. The girl was on the verge of a breakthrough in finding a clean, renewable energy source, and Ekko's genius design to bring more natural light to the lower levels of Zaun had already made the place feel more lively than it ever had. Viktor was secretly glad the two refused his offer to move to Piltover to work with him. The Undercity needed them way more than Piltover did.
He chewed on his lip anxiously as he took one careful step at a time, climbing down the stairs to the center of the park. Jayce's cryptic request for him to meet him there had left Viktor's mind jumping to all sorts of conclusions.
"...Why do you want to meet at the park? at noon, no less," Viktor's brow had raised suspiciously.
"No reason. Just wanna show you something," Jayce replied while pulling his sweater over his head.
"Why not show it to me now?"
Jayce looked around nervously. "Because it's a surprise? and I don't have it on me."
"Jayce... You know how I feel about surprises," Viktor said with a wince. There was no way Jayce had forgotten being hit in the balls with Viktor's cane when he tried to surprise him for his birthday that one time years ago.
"Oh, no, it's not like that. I'll just give you a small box, you open it, and hopefully be pleased with the content inside of it."
Viktor watched him blankly. "I am fairly certain that we cannot get any more married than we already are—"
"It's not that!" Jayce cried out, reaching to hold Viktor's hands in his. "Just... trust me, okay?"
Viktor let out a defeated sigh. Like he had any other choice.
The park was relatively empty. Midday in the winter was not the best time to be out in a park, not even for teenagers. And yet, Viktor was in the city's main park, taking a seat on one of the many empty benches facing the giant fountain, frozen due to the harsh cold.
It reminded him of the smaller fountain in the backyard of the academy building, where Jayce proposed to him three years prior. The gesture had made Viktor's heart expand in his chest, pressing painfully against his rib cage.
It was an early evening, late fall. Red and yellow leaves blanketed the entire ground, making the scene look like an oil painting. The yard was one of Viktor's favorite places in the academy, especially in his early days when he didn't have any friends. He would often hang out around the fountain and eat his sandwich alone. Sometimes, an old turtle would join him, and Viktor would share some of the lettuce in his sandwich with it.
"Hey! You made it!" Jayce's voice came from behind him. He sounded breathless, like he had been running, or was nervous, if not both.
"Of course I did. Did you think I was going to get blown away by the wind on my way here?"
Jayce chuckled, leaning in to press a chaste kiss to Viktor's temple. "Nope. Didn't you check your pockets? I filled them with gravel to weigh you down in case it got too windy."
Viktor rolled his eyes, trying to ignore the fact that his cheeks were burning hot from the public display of affection. There was barely anyone around, and they were not famous. Not the way Jayce used to be, with his face plastered on every wall and every mug and t-shirt. They had made a huge change, but they hadn't given people magic. True progress was rarely that flashy.
"How were Vander and the Kids?" Jayce asked as he took a seat next to him.
"Great. You should come with me next time. You will not believe how different it looks down there."
"I know, I've heard. I would love to come next time."
Viktor nodded, fidgeting with his fingers. He was trying not to look too eager for that supposed 'surprise'. Jayce's meeting with Mel was completely forgotten.
"Jayce—"
"Vik—" they said in unison. Jayce chuckled. "You first."
Viktor shook his head, biting his own smile back. "I just... wanted to say thank you, I guess." he shrugged. "You know, for not giving up on me."
Jayce's sheepish smile stretched wider. "Well, speaking of not giving up." He pushed a hand into his hidden breast pocket and pulled out a small velvet box, not dissimilar to an engagement ring box.
Viktor arched a brow, silently scolding Jayce.
"It's not another engagement ring, I swear," The younger said, holding the box out in his palm.
Reluctantly, Viktor picked it up, finding it surprisingly light.
"Don't shake it! it's fragile!" Jayce warned, almost jokingly.
"I am not four years old, Jayce," Viktor quipped, fully expecting some sort of miniature sculpture that Jayce had commissioned a local artist to make. Something expensive and sentimental.
Viktor was wrong. In the box, there was a small, clear vial filled with a translucent liquid that had a violet hue to it in certain angles. To say Viktor was confused would be an understatement.
"Two years ago, when we took Doctor Revevk into custody, I made him a deal," Jayce began to explain. Viktor's eyes snapped up at the sound of that name, his heart rate spiking. He still had nightmares about the horrors his former mentor had inflicted onto those poor creatures and the people. "He would invent a medicine to cure the illnesses caused by the toxins in the fissures, and we would allow him to continue his research for a cure for his daughter."
"what?" Viktor gasped, standing up abruptly despite his leg and nearly dropping the vial. "Jayce, how could you do that? don't you know what that man is capable of?"
Jayce leaned back against the bench's hard backrest, almost as if he was trying to sink further into the blocks of wood. "Of course I do. But he was the only one who could do it."
"I cannot believe this. You... you promised me Jayce. You promised not to be selfish this time," Viktor shouted, not caring about being in public any longer. "You promised to let me go peacefully. I will not become a monster again."
Jayce finally pushed up against his knees and stood up. "V, I would never... listen to me!" he pleaded.
"He doesn't have free reign to do whatever he wants to! we're watching him all the time, and..." Jayce paused to catch his breath, his heart hammering against his chest. "You know you aren't the only one who suffers from this. I didn't do this selfishly just to save you! Although I certainly hoped for that outcome."
Viktor pressed his palms against his throbbing temples. Deep down, he knew Jayce was right. Too many people were suffering from similar illnesses, some in much worse conditions than Viktor was. And yet, Viktor could not help the betrayal that sank deep into the cracks of his heart. "You broke your promise, again," he mumbled defeatedly, bile rising in his throat. His lids were growing hot, tears beginning to fill up in his warm amber eyes.
Jayce fell to his knees at Viktor's feet, his handsome face already damp with tear tracks. His trembling hands reached up to find purchase on the hem of Viktor's Jacket. "I'm sorry, Viktor. I am so sorry. I will beg for your forgiveness every day for the rest of my life, but please... please do not refuse me this chance," Jayce cried into Viktor's jacket, his broken sobs echoing through the near empty park.
Old memories flashed through Viktor's eyes. A small vial, glowing magenta, held between Singed's icky fingers. 'Jayce would understand.' Viktor had said as he reached for the vial of shimmer. And Jayce did understand, and that was the problem. He shouldn't have. How many times was Jayce going to sell his soul to save Viktor? What other devil would he make a deal with when Viktor—
"I swear, it is safe! There are no hidden side effects. I oversaw everything, I didn't let him experiment on animals for it, please Viktor..." Jayced begged, more tears sliding down his cheeks and dripping down onto the cold ground.
If that was true... If the drug was truly just a medicine and not some vile concoction of Reveck's nasty potions...
"I can't," Viktor rasped, squeezing his eyes shut tightly.
Jayce looked up, red swollen eyes staring up to Viktor, pleading. "Viktor, please... I am begging you—"
"Not until everyone else who is sick has received it first."
Jayce jumped to his feet, his eyes wide with hope and relief. His arms wrapped around Viktor's stiff shoulders tightly, nearly picking him off the ground and spinning them around. Viktor was still holding the box out stiffly, like it was going to explode any moment.
"Done! We're announcing it next week, and distribution begins right away. Vander has already received the first cargo," Jayce said cheerfully.
Viktor held a palm up. "You do realize that most of the people who are sick cannot afford—"
"It's free. Anyone who needs it will receive it. It's all paid for."
Viktor's mouth was gaping in awe and shock. "By who?"
Jayce had the nerve to look away sheepishly.
"You paid for all of it?" Viktor gasped in exasperation. He could only imagine how much it had costed...
"Well, most of it. I knew you would want it to be accessible for everyone. It was a small price to pay for you regaining your health and my own peace of mind."
"Jayce, I... I do not know what to say," Viktor mumbled under his breath, staring at the small box in his hand.
If what Jayce had claimed about the medicine was true, it could make a real difference. The kind they always dreamed of making from the day they met.
"You don't have to say anything." Jayce's gaze softened, his gold hazel eyes locked with Viktor's own. "Just that you forgive me?"
A large weight seemed to have lifted from Viktor's chest. He could finally breathe again, his tears drying on his blooming crimson cheeks. "There is nothing to forgive."
This time, Jayce did lift him up and spin them around like a couple of teens in a romance play.
On the way back to their apartment, Viktor asked, "What is it anyway? the medicine?"
Jayce rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't know much about biology and medicine, but it's derived from shimmer. Don't worry, it's completely safe. I even took a dose myself to make sure."
Viktor wanted to scold his partner for being so reckless, but he knew he would be the pot calling the kettle black if he did.
"So... is it a true cure? A one-time thing?"
"No... Not really. It would've been great if it was, but that's not realistic, really. It must be taken long term – once a month – and the effects are not immediate. But during the one-year trials, we saw patients' conditions improve drastically. One old lady with paralysis on the right side of her body began to walk on her own at the end of the trials. It was truly amazing."
Viktor realized the whole operation must've been in motion for a while if they had been doing patient-trials for the last year. While he understood why Jayce had kept it from him, he wished he could've been a part of the process. Although, seeing Singed on a regular basis was not an appealing thought, miracle medicine or not.
Once again, the true weight of what Jayce had done for him dawned on Viktor. Thousands of people would need this medicine for years, perhaps decades, and Jayce had bore the financial weight of it just to ease Viktor's guilt.
"I want to contribute. With the costs. Even if it isn't much, I would still like to—" Jayce interrupted him, his smile bright and genuine.
"I think that's a great idea. Everyone in the council and all the wealthy houses are pitching in for the next batches. Once they saw how their ignorance and cruelty had affected people with their own eyes, they all wanted to donate. I think they even got a little competitive, trying to beat each other in being charitable." Jayce chuckled. "You should come to the next meeting if you don't believe me."
Overwhelmed with a storm of emotion, Viktor stopped in his track. Every day he woke up, a voice in the back of his mind told him that it would be his last. That his luck would finally run out. And yet, good things kept happening to him, things most people only dreamed of. To find a love so grand, so all-consuming and unreserved, it filled every crack and every pore in his brittle, broken body with warmth. To have a partner, a man so devoted and protective who would crawl his way out of hell, broken and starved, just to find you again. A man who would save your soul at the cost of his own salvation.
When would enough be enough? When would the universe finally notice the mistake of giving Viktor everything he ever wanted despite his sins? Or perhaps this was the punishment all along. To spoil him with all the luxuries and happiness Viktor never had, only to take them away when he least expected it.
they were only a block away from their apartment. Jayce noticed him stopping not two steps further. He turned around, worry swimming in the pool of his honeyed eyes.
"V? what's wrong?"
"It cannot be real," Viktor mumbled to himself, so softly Jayce could barely hear.
"What do you mean? I–"
"It is not real, is it? None of it is real..." Viktor reached to hold the lapels of Jayce's jacket, running his fingers against the soft material. "This life, our home... all the progress we have made... It was all too good to be true. Now a cure? I can not be foolish enough to believe this."
Jayce cupped Viktor's face in his warm hands despite forgetting his gloves like most days, holding his partner's face still to drill his next words in Viktor's head. "Listen to me. Viktor, look. At. Me!" he punctuated. "There isn't a force in this universe that could recreate this to look and feel so real."
Viktor blinked, taking in the details of Jayce's face. The red tint on the round tip of his nose, the fine lines in the corners of his eyes and his forehead, the curve of his thick dark lashes, the dip of his cupid bow, the forest green line framing his warm, golden irises, and the old scar on his brow.
"Vik, we're scientists! Look at all these buildings, all these people who have their own lives, do you think your mind could just make that all up?"
Viktor's lips trembled, his fingers tightening on the lapels of Jayce's jacket. "But... how..."
"I don't care how." Jayce spat. "V, I get scared too. I doubt it too, sometimes, when I wake up in the morning and see you sleeping next to me, so peaceful and beautiful, I can hardly believe that I got you in this life. Some days when I wake up and you're not there, I panic thinking it was all a dream, but then you walk into the room with a bird's nest on your head, holding a giant cup of coffee, and I know it's real."
"Jayce..." Viktor rasped, trying to take control of his labored breathing.
The younger hooked a hand behind Viktor's neck and pulled their foreheads together, their eyes still locked. A shiver went down Viktor's spine.
"So let's go home and figure it out, okay?"
Viktor nodded, his eyes trained on the slick of Jayce's lips.
"Let me show you that it's real. I'll spend all night proving it to you."