Chapter 2
Viktor sat on his couch, trying not to worry too much about Jayce. Two days ago he had claimed a severe headache and left. He hadn't seen him since then. Didn't even receive a note. It was so very unlike him. He was sure Caitlyn would notify him if something was really amiss but he still couldn't help but worry.
Jayce had been acting strangely for a while now. Constantly talking about soul marks, even implying that he wanted to see Viktor's. He had just laughed it off and reminded him that asking to see someone's mark was considered rude, even in Zaun. Jayce had just blushed and mumbled a hasty apology. Viktor knew Jayce wanted to find his soulmate. Sure, he never said it out loud but without a soulmate, anyone in Piltover would feel lonely and singled out, since virtually everyone else usually grew up with theirs. And Jayce, being the romantic he was, was probably dreaming about finding the one. The thought left him with a bitter feeling. He knew he had been in love with Jayce for years now, and if he was from the Undercity, Viktor might had tried to pursue him. But he was not. And Viktor could not fathom trying to build a life with Jayce, only to be left alone the day Jayce found his match.
As a Zaunite, Viktor didn't care much for soulmates. If anyone in Zaun really cared about them, they would most probably end up alone for life. There was so much young death in the Lanes that no one could afford to wait for a fated one - most probably they had already left this world. In fact, like most other Zaunites, Viktor assumed his soulmate was dead. But he had been living in Piltover for long enough to know how important all this was up here. He could not imagine ever recovering from the heartbreak of Jayce leaving him. And even if it went well, Viktor couldn't prevent himself remembering that in the end, it would be him, leaving. So he wouldn't let it come that far.
Still, he cared deeply for their friendship und would do anything to keep it alive.
The sound of his window opening, followed by colourful curses interrupted his brooding.
"Why don't you just use the door, like every other person?"
"Nah,", his brother, Mylo, grinned at him. "I gotta keep my skills sharp."
"As if they ever were." With a grunt, Vi landed next to him. "Here." She showed a bag into his hands. Viktor knew it would be full of Undercity food.
"You don't have to bring me food every other day. I can care for myself." Vi just laughed and held up his arm. "Evidently not. You look like a skeleton."
"Thank you, Violet." Viktor just shook his head. He saw Mylo rummaging through his kitchen, emerging triumphantly, with a sandwich.
"I'll take this as a trade." He said. Already taking out a bite.
Viktor just waved him off. His siblings never dropped in on him at the academy. In the beginning Powder had said something about not liking the stuck up Piltie vibes the place exuded. But Viktor suspected it was to not make his circumstances more difficult. As if he cared about that. Over time, even though his standing at the academy was now undisputed, it had turned into an unspoken understanding that they would only come into his lab if there was an emergency. His flat, though, was an entire different story. They came and went as they wished, as if it was an extension of their home. The sun had already set.
"You arrived rather late today."
"Yeah, Vi, tell us why we are late today."
"Oh shut it." Vi sat, sprawled on the couch.
"Vi met an enforcer chick and just couldn't resist to flirt with her." Mylo announced.
Vi threw a cushion at him. "She was hot, ok? At least I'm going after people I like instead of stumbling and stuttering around as soon as she enters the room, like a certain someone."
Mylo's face turned into a tomato. He was just about to protest when Viktor cut him off.
"Is the entire purpose of your visit just fighting?"
"No." Vi stuck her tongue out at Mylo. "We're here to see our dear oldest brother and make sure he stays alive. So go eat!" she commanded.
"Alright, alright." Viktor opened the bag to reveal a container. "Can you find me a spoon, please?"
Mylo returned to the kitchen. Viktor sat down.
"So...Mylo has his eyes set on someone?"
"Not really." Vi grinned. "He just can't stop making a fool of himself as soon as he sees someone he finds even remotely pretty". She turned towards the kitchen shouted "Isn't that right, prince charming?"
"Oh fuck off." Mylo returned, spoon in hand.
"Maybe you should practice more. On people you perceive as less attractive." Viktor suggested.
He knew they would not leave unless he had eaten everything.
"Geez Vik, the longer you stay here, the more you sound like some fancy Piltie."
Viktor shrugged. "I do spend a lot of time with them." He kept eating his stew, calmly.
"It's still creepy..."
Vi took the container as soon as he finished his meal and marched towards the sink.
"I can do that myself."
"I know." Vi replied dryly and started cleaning the dishes. It was always the same. When they were around, his siblings would do any tasks that involved standing up for him, just because he had a bad leg. He knew it was their way of showing affection but it was all still quite infuriating.
"By the way, Powder asked if your corset is still providing enough support. I think she wants to build you a new one." Vi relayed the message casually, even though the words hug heavily in the air. His health had been deteriorating. Recently, he had started to have difficulties holding up his upper body, resulting in his other sister, Powder, building him a medical corset. It helped him immensely, but Powder insisted it was rushed and wanted to work on an improved model.
"It's fine so far..." He said softly.
"Soooo, Powder should probably take a look at it." Mylo interjected.
Viktor sighed. All the lightheartedness gone.
Vi returned, container back into the bag.
"We should probably get back." She said carefully. "I'll tell everyone you said hi."
Viktor just nodded. "Goodbye. Stay safe.", he said weakly. "And just use the door!" he added while his siblings climbed out through the window.
Jayce steeled himself, standing in front of the lab door. He knew he had some explaining to do, but that was not why he was nervous. He had resolved to adhere to Caitlyn's advice and just ask Viktor out. He knew he could never love someone else like that, so why not go for it?
His palms were covered in cold sweat, when he gave himself a push and entered the lab.
Viktor was sitting at his desk, engrossed in some calculations. But at the sound of the door, he turned.
"Jayce! You're back!" he exclaimed. His tone a lot more excited than Jayce was used to, affection and care evident on his face. Jayce's stomach started somersaulting. This was going to be a lot more difficult than he imagined.
"Yeah...sorry for not notifying you. I wasn't feeling well." He didn't want to explain further but Viktor wore such an inquisitive look on his face, he couldn't just ignore it. "I...I'm all better now, so let's not worry about that?"
Even though he looked like he still had dozens of questions, Viktor didn't push him. He smiled and gestured towards his notebook.
"Would you like to go over the work I've done while you were taken ill?"
"Gladly!" relieved, Jayce joined his friend to see what he had missed. Asking him out could wait. He still had the entire day to muster up the courage for that.
Hours had come and gone and now the sun was already setting and Jayce still hadn't found a way to talk to Viktor about anything but their research. So the loud growl that escaped his stomach was a welcome excuse.
"We should get dinner." he suggested.
Viktor looked out of the window. "Oh. I didn't realise it has gotten so late already." Grabbing his crutch, he stood up. "I should probably go home."
Panic started to spread in Jayce. He didn't want to part with Viktor so soon, not trusting himself to muster up the courage again to ask him. "Could I join you?", he blurted out, before he could form a coherent thought. Viktor eyed him cautiously, as if trying to figure out his motives.
"If you wish to. Did you run out of food?" a beautiful small smile sat on Viktor's face that didn't help to calm Jayce's rampaging nerves at all.
"Yes...well...no...I umm... I just want to have dinner with you."
Viktor's face fell. He turned to walk towards their coat hanger.
"How could I say no to that?" His voice sounded almost timid and Jayce was sure his face was on fire when they left the lab together.
"What do you like to eat?" Viktor asked while opening his apartment door. "I fear I don't have a lot on hand. My brother came by yesterday and practically robbed me."
Jayce froze. He knew nothing about Viktor's family. Only that they were from Zaun.
"You never talk about your family."
"I didn't realise you were interested."
"Of course I'm interested! You just... seem like you prefer to keep most of your life private."
Viktor chose not to comment.
"Feel free to sit down."
They had entered an open sitting area that had plenty of light falling through several windows.
He didn't know why but Jayce had always thought Viktor's living space would be much darker and smaller. There was no reason why it would, though. Viktor had made a fortune through their patent on Hextech. Just like Jayce had himself.
"So? What would you like to eat?" Viktor had walked into the kitchen. "I have some lettuce and pasta." He came back with a grin on his face. "That is not a very enticing combination, is it?"
Jayce couldn't help but laugh. "No it is not indeed. What exactly were your plans for dinner with that?"
Viktor sat down next to him. "Honestly, most of the time, someone from home will come by with food for me. If no one shows up, I just wing it."
"How scandalous! The Co-Inventor of Hextech, unable to provide himself with basic necessities."
Viktor just joined his laughter. "We can make pasta with salt and butter? With a salad on the side. Could be worse."
"Sounds like quite the gourmet dinner to me. Pasta con burro."
They were about to start preparing their grande meal, when a small explosion shook the flat. Hastily, Viktor left the kitchen.
"Heavens, Powder, why don't you use your keys?" He heard him asking and followed his friend to the living room.
"Hey Vicky." A young woman with long blue braids grinned at them. "It's no fun that way and you know it!" She pouted and held up a bag. "Vander sends his regards and I quote", her voice changed into a low, mocking tone. "We all know those topsiders can't cook. Tell Viktor he should visit more often."
Viktor chuckled a bit and held out his hand to grab the bag. "Thanks for the food." he added.
"This is Jayce, by the way. My lab partner. Jayce, this is Powder. My..." Viktor had turned to face Jayce, but interrupted himself, when he saw Jayce staring. "Jayce? Jayce! Piltover to Jayce?"
But Jayce couldn't stop staring at the woman in front of him. Her arm was still outstretched and right there on her exposed forearm was the exact same mark he had seen on Viktor a few days ago. The world started spinning again as he felt bile rising to his throat. This was Viktor's soulmate. And they were definitely close.
"Jayce? Is everything alright?" Viktor's concerned voice forced him out of his trance. Wrecking his brain for a suitable string of words, Jayce started blabbering.
"Sorry, I have just remembered that my mother, um no, Caitlyn, yes Cait had asked me to drop by this evening. I don't know how I could forget. I should probably go now." Without even trying to mask his haste, he fled the apartment.
"Do I have something on my face?" Powder asked, totally perplexed by the entire situation. "Oh, I did not interrupt a date, did I?" She laughed and bumped her elbow into Viktor. But when she saw him not joining in but seeing his gaze lingering worriedly on the door, Powder gasped. "I really DID interrupt a date! Sorry, Vicky."
"It was nothing important." Viktor sighed.
"So that's the infamous "just friends" lab partner you keep blabbing on about?"
"He is."
"And you are just friends and I totally didn't interrupt some romantic evening?"
"You're not going to believe a word I say anyways." Viktor conceded. When Powder got an idea into her head, she would run away with it and sooner or later the entire Undercity would whisper about his "date" with Jayce.
"Oh come on, you wound me. I'm not that delusional?" Viktor blinked.
"Wait, you're not going to spread this rumour anywhere you can?"
"Of course not." she retorted somewhat outraged. "We all know you genuinely care for him. How could I ever spread a rumour that might actually hurt you!"
Viktor was at a loss of words. Was his infatuation so obvious to his family?
"Besides." Powder moved directly in front of him, patting his hand on the crutch. "I'm the only one of us who got to meet him. I gotta relish in that for as long as I can! And when you finally introduce him to everyone, I get to say: SURPRISE! I knew him all along!"
This made Viktor laugh out loudly. His youngest sibling had such an absurd imagination.
"You go chase your fantasies." He sat down on the couch. "Meanwhile, I'll enjoy this." He opened the meal Powder had brought with her. She had gone and gotten him some cutlery. His posture must have been really bad, if even Powder started taking care of him in that way.
"I'm actually here to take measurements for... you know." Viktor swallowed his last bite forcefully. Even though he had long come to terms with his condition, he knew it was difficult for everyone around him to see his body deteriorate. "Just let me do the dishes first.", he said, as softly as he could.
"No, I'll do that." Powder sprang up, grabbed the food container he had been eating from and ran into the kitchen before Viktor could oppose. He must really look a lot worse than he had been when she saw him the last time. It's not like Powder wouldn't usually care, of course not. She just wasn't a naturally protective or doting person like his other siblings.
Finally, after Powder had fixed his door and left, Viktor found some time to process what had happened. Jayce had been off all day. Nervous, skittish even. It was as if he had been trying to flirt with him, but Viktor dismissed that thought quickly. He knew for a fact that Jayce could not have seen his mark so there was no possibility of Jayce making a move on him. But why had he fled from Powder? Had she robbed him at some point? But this was Powder. Not Vi. So that was probably not it. Did one of her experiments accidentally explode into his face? Viktor decided to not put too much thought into it and just ask Jayce the next day. If he didn't disappear for multiple days again, a small, unhelpful voice in the back of his head supplied.
Jayce found the first bench he encountered to sit and calm down. Viktor had a soulmate in his life and even though she seemed a bit eccentric, he was obviously fond of her. So Jayce should just give up before he even really started? These last few days his world views had been challenged several times and it was exhausting. After finally coming to terms with the situation this morning, his world lay around him, shattered once again into a million pieces. It just left him empty. He didn't know what hurt more - Viktor not being his soulmate or Viktor being with someone else. Both thoughts made his insides churn. After waiting his entire life, he had been so elated to finally have found the one, followed by the hollow emptiness of realising it had all been in his head and he was alone after all. The small hope he had held only this morning had been immediately crushed in the cruelest of ways. All the pushing and pulling on his emotions was just too much for him. He sat there for half an eternity and cried. Luckily it was late and the streets were empty. And when he finally found the strength to get up and go home, he was so absent minded that he literally walked into someone.
"Woa, watch out where you're going, pretty boy!" A short, very muscular woman in front of him exclaimed.
"Oh sorry, I didn't mean to." was all his brain would provide.
"Dude you look terrible. Whatever it is. It can't be that bad. You look like you just cried out your soul."
Jayce sighed but couldn't say anything without the urge to shed more tears.
They had both fallen to the ground from their impact earlier and now just sat there, facing each other.
After an awkward silence, the woman moved to sit next to him.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
Jayce did not know what came over him.
"I...there is a guy I love. I thought we could be together, but I just found out he has his soulmate in his life."
"So?" There was genuine confusion on her face.
"You are supposed to end up with your soulmate. It's fated." Jayce stated the obvious.
"You Pilties always make life so complicated. I'd never settle for someone I didn't chose myself. Honestly, in the Undercity, most people that end up meeting their soulmate will become close friends with them. But no one would decide on their life partner solely based on that. It's kinda insulting."
The way she said it, as if it was the most basic fact of how people worked, made him feel some hope. Victor was from Zaun after all. Maybe he was also just friends with his soulmate?
"Thank you, stranger." He said. A small smile creeping onto his face. "That actually helped."
"Don't act so surprised!" A playful tone had crept into her voice.
"What were you doing out here?"
The woman looked around, as if they hadn't been alone the entire time. "There is this enforcer. She helped me to get out of a sticky situation a while ago, just because it was the right thing to do. I've been coming topside to talk to her." she admitted.
"Any luck?"
"I hope so. She seems to be happy when I show up so that's a start."
"Sounds promising."
"It is." she stood. "I should go. It's getting late."
"Isn't it a bit unsafe to walk all the way back?" Jayce was a little concerned. The Undercity was notoriously full of criminals.
"Don't worry, loverboy, I can take care of myself." she laughed. "Besides. I can always crash at my brother's. He lives nearby." With that, she left, waving without looking back. Only when Jayce had made it home himself he realised he hadn't asked about her name.