The Monster You Created

The entire scene he just listened to made his mind reel. So many questions, and yet he had virtually NO answers. How the fuck did he get there, why couldn’t he remember anything?! The frustration only made that ache in his head worse, as he feebly massaged his right temple with the only arm that still worked. This overall situation SUCKED. Much to his surprise he could not prevent the faint groan that slipped through his lips, jumping and hesitantly glancing around the room. Luckily, there were no nurses or other people present. Thank the Gods. After just waking up after….. How long had it been…?

The ache throbbed again dangerously in his head, and he slowly sat up for a moment, slowly catching his first real glance of the hospital room he had been cooped up in. Much to his surprise, there had been a small side table just off to the left side of his rather cozy light blue color themed hospital bed. The table was as plain and simple as they came, a dull grey top with black glossy legs. But what caught his attention was…

Cards. Flowers…? The shock actually made his jaw go slack, as he stared in utter disbelief. Bright colorful GET WELL SOON was plastered on the fronts of most of them, along with a variety of different hand writing styles and colored inks. From his guess he managed to see at least 4. From whom… he couldn't even begin to fathom. He had no friends on Piltover… well.

At ONE POINT he did, before even that small flicker of happiness and unconditional friendship was swiftly and abruptly snuffed out when they were teenagers. When she had gotten accepted into the Piltover Academy for Gifted Engineers. It was among one of the highest honors JUST to even be considered! And she was given a full paid scholarship, for her excellent work. How she mentioned she kept it secret even from her parents, to make sure HE, HER BEST FRIEND, would be the first to know.

How little she knew as it filled his heart with pride for his friend's success, just how much it absolutely hurt to hear the news. The way his heart clenched painfully and jealously when she told him. Though, outwardly he smiled and said she worked so hard to achieve it. How she absolutely deserved it. And he knew he wasn't lying. But he couldn't help but feel that awful nag of envy nipping at the corners of his heart. Not to mention, the death blow. As if that wasn't the worst news…

Moving. The caveat was she needed to MOVE into the dorms of the Academy to ensure she'd be able to have full access to the Academy. If you read far enough between the lines… they just wanted her to cut any connection or ties to Zaun. So the information would remain PILTOVER knowledge, and wouldn't be brought to Zaun. Insult to injury, on a level he didn't even know he could feel. Or before he knew how much he stood to LOSE.

The way she nearly cried when she told him, the way she said she nearly gave it up because she'd have to leave him. Despite how selfishly he wanted to have her stay, he gently took her hand to make her look at him. The way he said there is nothing stopping her from becoming the most talented inventor there and no matter what he’d be there cheering her on. PLUS she'd always be able to help him blow up another circuit like they did by accident with a failed potato battery. The way she giggled and hugged him, saying she still had the other half of the burst battery they kept as mementos.

Especially the way he and Sky had ended the relationship. He never even got the chance to explain- And if he tried… It only took once for him to learn the hard way that… if Silco gives you an option, you took it while you could. There was never a negotiation. It was pick the lesser of the two evils. Half of the time he wondered if he just truly enjoyed watching him suffer, or if he truly was THAT paranoid that he'd even consider betraying him in such a manner. Or perhaps… she'd encourage him to LEAVE entirely… The thought hadn't crossed his mind at the time but…

The idea made a long shudder start from his head and neck before slowly but painfully trickling down his shoulders, spine and eventually his legs. The sensation in his left leg was significantly delayed. That wasn't good. Now that he was awake, everything, the pain, the flash of long buried traumas and events flashed in his mind, as if instead of only remembering the RECENT events, he was going to need to relive them ALL first.

The memories flooded his mind, as he slowly leaned forward to scrunch into as much of a ball he could without shifting his left leg at all, or his shoulder. This of course ended disastrously, and only caused a lot more aching and pain from BOTH limbs. Life was really telling him to kiss it's ass this day. When he had the chance, he was going to KICK IT instead. Life could go fuck itself. As if it hadn't taken ENOUGH FROM HIM ALREADY.

Despite the agony stemming from his leg and shoulder, he refused to sit back up. For one damn minute, he just wanted to curl into a tight ball, grab a pillow to his chest, shove his face into it and scream. Just ONE. MINUTE. Was that too much to ask? A loud muffled whimper crept it's way past his trembling lips. Gods. He hated to admit it but, frankly at this given moment he TRULY was more horrified than he EVER had been in Zaun. Somehow, Piltover seemed like a much more horrifying place to live.

He wasn't sure what was worse, waking up to earth shattering physical agony, or the mental torture chamber that his mind seemed hellbent on keeping him sealed away in. One or the other is a different story, but both at the same time? He was going to need a LOT more pillows to scream into for this ride. For the briefest of seconds, he wished he hadn't woken up. Permanent slumber… Perhaps it was not the worst of fates after all.

For a long while, Viktor didn't pay any attention to the ticking of the horrible clock on the wall. Much to his future self's dismay, he remained in that awful position for hours. Not that he was intentionally trying to drive himself insane by counting each tick. 30 seconds. A minute. An hour. 3 hours. By the time he hit 3 hours, 27 minutes and 41 seconds he heard the distant sounds of footsteps. Multiple. That masculine voice of Jayce, and an unknown female voice. Younger, more stern and colder than the woman Jayce originally spoke to. Who's this new woman?...

“Jayce. Your mother asked me to MAKE SURE you head home in an hour. And I don't intend to fail her. She and I are worried sick about you! Have you literally been using these visits solely as an excuse to get plastered? You’re acting like you're so SUBTLE about sneaking booze into every meeting these last few times. Even Mel asked me to speak to you about it. Enough is enough!” The new voice snapped, stern and very rigid.

The footsteps paused just outside the doorway, a rather tall and LARGE figure looming just close enough to draw a shadow into the room through the very thin hospital wall. For a place so pretty, the QUALITY of the rooms seemed… SKIMPY. Fascinating, so those fancy MONEY proposals for buildings, infrastructure, and schools did ACTUALLY go to those places? He mused darkly with the faintest twist at the corners of his grimace. Oh, how the corruption ran deep here too. Lining the pockets of the rich and damning the poor, yet the poor here are too blind to see it. Truly fascinating.

As slowly and cautiously as he could before the door swung open gently, he unfurled himself from that now regretful and pathetic attempt at a fetal position. In immediate protest his back and neck clicked, cracked and snapped. All the way down as he slowly laid back on the bed. The man who stepped into the door locked eyes immediately with him before the angry expression melted to one of utter disbelief. It quickly morphed into one of pure elation. NO. NO NO NO- JAYCE WAS- HIM.

The same golden eyes. Same golden sun kissed skin. Jet black hair closely shaved to the sides and longer on the top, messy and unkempt. The worry that he saw for a few brief moments before he lost consciousness. Staring down at him- ON THE BRIDGE- HIS CAPTURE- THE CRATE- HIS LEG- THAT. BASTARD!!!! What happened next was a reaction he didn't even know he had in himself. Though… after all he endured, it felt COMPLETELY JUSTIFIED. Not to mention, his reflexes were on point. Jinx would be so proud of him.

“OH GODS- HE'S awake- Caitlin he's ACTUALLY AWAKE! This is the best day possible-” Jayce spoke quickly, before immediately shifting his attention off of Caitlin. “Caitlin” was still being blocked from the room due to Jayce's unbelievably muscular physique. This jackass didn’t have an OUNCE of fat anywhere on his almost male model body. Seriously? This was just CRUEL.

One thing he did find interesting is that the said “Protector” of Piltover's reaction time SUCKED. It had only been a single second before when he turned back to Viktor and the gleam of hope was immediately extinguished when he saw the expression plastered on Viktor's face. Pure hatred. And WRATH. Jayce actually took a single step back out of shock, before he realized far too slowly what happened. Without even thinking, Viktor reached over and snatched a heavy metal medical tray resting on the table right next to his bed, and grasped it tightly in his grip. It was a split-second reaction.

With all the strength and hatred he had pent up from that moment on the bridge, Viktor hurled it with all his might. Directly at Jayce's pretty face. Jayce barely had a moment to look shocked, before the tray hit him directly in the nose and upper jaw, with enough force to actually cause him to stumble backwards. The shock and pain caused him to fall flat on his ass, clutching his nose and face with his hands. A loud groan escaped his lips followed by a series of rather colorful profanities.

“GODS FUCKING ABOVE, WHAT THE FUCKING HELL?!” Jayce spat, before scooting himself further from Viktor, whose eyes BLAZED with unbridled fury. If he was NOT bedridden, he would've already been on Jayce before at least getting a few solid punches in before getting his ass kicked.

But, seeing him cower in fear to a ZAUNIAN CRIPPLE, was satisfactory. For now. He was a patient man. He'd bide his time. Plus, it'd give him time to think of something much crueler. He'd have to ponder on it for a while. Rushing such revenge for nearly losing his leg would need to be THOROUGHLY thought through.

“YOU SON OF A FUCKING BITCH- DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU HAVE DONE?!” Viktor bellowed, chest heaving. There was no stopping the fury from bursting free now. There was a sharp gasp before a lady a few years older than Jinx rushed into the room, kneeling by Jayce. The tray lay next to him, with faint splatters of blood, which was freely dripping from his nose.

“How… DARE YOU, HARM HIM. AFTER EVERYTHING HE HAD DONE, HE SAVED YOUR LIFE! YET YOU REACT LIKE A SAVAGE ANIMAL, ATTACKING HIM?!” The woman presumably named Caitlin snapped, with such a strong commanding tone Viktor actually paused for a brief moment. Then that slow calculating expression slowly slipped back onto his face, as his blood slowly began to flow with cold cruel ire. No. He didn't have a choice. Working with the Pilties wasn't an option. His father's wrath would be too much of a risk.

The woman stood about a foot shorter than himself, thin in build and with sleek elegant features that matched her body. Athletic, toned and fit. The way she held herself was almost a militaristic fashion. Shoulders back, spine straight and laser focused attention on her task. Her eyes were a deep fiery blue, which was a few shades lighter than her navy-blue shoulder length hair. It was perfectly straight, and it seemed to match her overall personality and demeanor.

And her outfit… Enforcer colors. Protectors Crest. Just like Jayce's. But his attire was more masculine… and featured the colors of a light tan, golden accents and hints of fiery muddled red. What snapped Viktor out of his momentary examination was the sharp bitter glare piecing his skull. From those scary dangerous blue eyes.

“OH, forgive me. I forgot I was speaking to ROYALTY. My SINCEREST APOLOGIES if I don't COURTESY every time you walk the room, your ‘highness’.” Viktor hissed, struggling to sit up. Caitlin's eyes narrowed dangerously as she stood up, carefully helping Jayce to his feet. By the time Jayce was able to stand on his own, he seemed determined not to make any eye contact with him at the moment. Oddly, his expression wasn't angry or betrayed. He just looked extremely depressed.

“I get you're upset at me; you have every right to be… But perhaps now it'd be best if you just rested for a while. You did just wake up from a 3-week coma-”

Viktor’s jaw went slack, as he stared in mute horror at Jayce who blinked a couple times.

“THREE…. WEEKS?!” Viktor screeched, as his heart rate monitor began to pick up speed rapidly. The sound made Jayce grimace, before taking a step towards him. This was quickly stopped by Viktor reflexively reaching for a ceramic cup that was spared from being flung across the room along with that metal tray.

“Hey hey easy! Look, it's hard to process, ok?! But the doctors warned you would be out for a while, like a day or two! They weren't sure… You'd wake up. I was… really worried-”

“Why the hell would you worry about someone you don't even know? Logically it makes no sense UNLESS there is an ulterior motive.” Viktor interjected, amber eyes narrowing at Jayce. This time a flicker of annoyance flashed across JAYCE'S features rather than Caitlin's. Jayce's outburst was NOT AT ALL what Viktor was expecting.

“BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT TO HURT YOU! I didn't think the paramedics could save you if I hadn't done what I did, okay?! I felt horrible! Plus, you had no one… no one to wait for you- to check on you! I didn't… I thought I was trying to help you… make waking up EASIER. It clearly made it worse. I just- I don't get it. I have been nothing but kind to you and yet you're so aggressive and mean!” Jayce finally snapped, as he briskly began to pace again.

For a long moment, Viktor watched him before finally speaking up.

“Kindness… is NOT a luxury we have down in Zaun. Unlike you Pilties…. It is a dog-eat-dog world. Any small act of weakness, or opportunity, will be met with either a mugging, beating, or death. Being feral, aggressive and not worth attacking is what keeps you ALIVE. It must be nice, not needing to fear for your life, every time you step out the door. No need to wonder where your next meal will come from… Or worry you’ll be killed the second you turn a corner.” Viktor replied levelly, like he was simply stating a well-known fact. The expression on his face seemed to perfectly match his tone. Condescending, almost scolding like he was talking down to a child. The tone caused Jayce’s pacing to pause for a brief moment before Caitlin spoke up.

“Well, if you asked me, I would've said you were a dick because you were raised by Silco… Takes one to know one.” Caitlin added coldly, eyes firmly locked on Viktor's. It was extremely unsettling the way Viktor's eyes SLOWLY narrowed, the gears in his mind turning. Meanwhile, Viktor remained UNCOMFORTABLY calm. The way it made Jayce sweat and glance in horror between the two brought a warped sick grin to Viktor’s face. This guy was so easy to mentally fuck with. Oh, he was going to ENJOY THIS…

“CAITLIN!” Jayce barely managed to speak between failing syllables and letters. There was a calm before the storm right before Viktor smirked, staring levelly right into Caitlin's eyes. The gleam of malicious intent and cruel poetic irony was written ALL over his features. For a split second, Jayce swore he heard Jayce’s heart stop as he caught that look on his face. Oh, he KNEW.

“Ah, I guess you would know. Seeing how you clearly can spot one. Takes one to know one, right?” Viktor countered, with a VERY proud smirk plastered on his face. The comment made Caitlin's cheeks burn before she got two steps in before Jayce looped his arms under hers, lifting her off the ground before she could beat Viktor to a pulp.

“YOU AWFUL GOOD FOR NOTHING ZAUNITE BASTARD!!!” Caitlin yelled, losing all composure. It was faintly concerning seeing such a strong, very ripped fit man standing an impressive 6 feet 6 inches struggling to hold Caitlin back.

“CAIT, COOL IT-” Jayce wheezed, taking a couple sharp elbows to the ribs and right in the stomach. There was a soft sigh before she seemed to lose all energy and Jayce didn’t set her down right away. “I am not setting you DOWN unless you MEAN IT, CAIT.” Jayce spoke with a sharp bluntness that actually made Viktor raise an eyebrow. Perhaps this guy does have a spine after all. With a swift motion, Caitlin jabbed Jayce with an upward motion right under Jayce’s ribs, making him wheeze and let her go. By the time he had his arms wrapped around his bruising rib cage, she was glaring at Jayce with such fierceness Viktor was betting money he’d crumble as he had done before. Not only did he adamantly refuse, he kept a rigid eye contact with her the entire time. The best way to describe her expression was one of disgust and disbelief.

“Jayce. Of all the STUPID stunts to pull, choosing to take sides with the SON of Silco, and not to mention the MAN who's been verbally abusive and berating you ever since he’s been awake is a new one. I am disappointed, I really am. I have been trying to get you to GET YOUR OWN life back, yet your dead set on helping someone who clearly doesn’t WANT IT. Why are you wasting so much time and effort and the people who treat you so horribly?” Caitlin snapped, stomping a foot to emphasis. The once rocky and rigid expression on Jayce’s face slowly faded along with the pained sigh he let out. When he met her eyes again, his tone was so sincere and gentle it actually made both Caitlin and Viktor stare at him.

“I doubt either of you would believe me, but it was the right thing to do.” Jayce said, his eyes gleaming with a bright determination. The look on his face seemed to make Caitlin pause, shake her head and grab his upper left arm. As she did, Viktor’s face switched to a deep unsettled expression of disgust.

“Your sense of heroism is SICKENING…” Viktor muttered, before settling back down onto his bed, feeling suddenly fatigued from the events that unfolded. With a tired sigh, Jayce looked at him wearily. There were sizable bags forming under his eyes, and he looked pretty haggard. Now that he was less tense, Viktor could smell a strong alcoholic smell radiating off of Jayce. Perhaps, that comment about him sneaking booze when he was here WAS a possible ulterior motive… But what about on the off chance… He wasn’t lying? The words that Jayce said next actually made him speechless.

“Wouldn’t you do the same for your own people?” Jayce asked, his voice so gentle he barely heard it. For a split second, Viktor opened his mouth to retort, but no words came. As he processed the words, he felt his heart clench up before slowly closing his mouth. There was a faint smirk on Jayce’s face when Viktor remained silent. It made Viktor’s blood BOIL that this big idiot managed to get one over him. As best Viktor could, he rolled over onto his good shoulder, before huffing a little bit, trying to get comfortable. He cannot believe he was actually going to do this but… PERHAPS, just TRYING wouldn’t hurt.

“..... Thank... You… For not leaving me here. All alone, for 3 weeks….” Viktor muttered, avoiding Jayce’s gaze. He could feel it, and he swore he heard Jayce’s heart burst from joy. There was a certain warmth and brightness beaming from the smile on the big doofus’s face. FUCK, it was such a mistake. What was worse, Viktor felt his cheeks burn faintly. Gods, he would never live this down, would he? Already he felt his ego taking a sizable hit. IF ANYONE in Zaun heard about this… He knew his head would be on a pike so quickly right outside of Silco’s office. His life was over. No questions about it.

“You’re welcome…” Jayce said, his voice somewhat bubbly. All Viktor did was groan and roll his eyes, before feeling his eyelids droop. It took all his strength to avoid yawning loudly. Thankfully, Caitlin began to tug Jayce by the arm towards the doorway. This caused Jayce to whine loudly.

“But CAIIIT WE WERE MAKING PROGRESSSS-”

“No Jayce. You’re going to get your nose checked, going home, taking a shower and going to bed. And drinking some WATER. NO more whining, let’s go.” Caitlin demanded. With his head bowed, Jayce walked with a defeated slump to his shoulders and a sizable pout on his lips. That made Caitlin groan and roll her eyes as she escorted him out of the room, leaving Viktor alone once more. He TRULY hated to admit it but… That last bit was … actually pathetically… CUTE. The thought physically made him flinch, as he felt that warmth burning his cheeks again, and even his ears felt slightly warm. Why was he blushing?! THIS entire mess must’ve scrambled his brain a lot more than he thought… Or perhaps… Much as he feared himself and Silco always told him never to do… Wear your emotions on your sleeve. OR EVEN FALL IN LOVE WITH A PILTIE. This day only kept getting worse and worse by the minute. With a loud sigh, he curled up a bit tighter on his side, before falling into a fitful and anxiety ridden sleep. Gods above, there was no surviving this mess anymore, was there?