Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

When you’ve been working with the founders of Hextech for as long as Sky Young has, you tend to notice things about them. Especially their habits. Like how Viktor scans his eyes over every page of text twice before moving onto the next to memorise each detail, and how Jayce’s brows raise slightly when someone unexpected enters the lab. It’s also easy to pick up on the way they both don’t bother hiding their excitement when a test goes right.

Sky can’t help but find how they interact with each other interesting. There are, of course, other people they are comfortable around. This is more with Jayce than Viktor, but the slightly shorter man does have a few people he can easily talk to. However, together they always have a whole different level of causality and comfort in the air. It’s not that surprising when they have been working together for so long.

Another habit the pair have is the clinks and clutters of metal, alongside the scratching of words and calculations being written, and the humming of Hextech projects being powered up, and the teasing that occasionally fills the laboratory.

Teasing just like what Viktor was aiming at Jayce as he jotted information from today’s progress into a book. Something about being bad at lying? Sky, no longer just half listening, continued to copy notes from a chalkboard onto paper at her boss’s request. She can hear the target of Viktor’s words pause his tinkering on their current project and chuckle.

“Oh really? What about ‘this is not my bedroom’?”

Sky knew what he was referencing, she was told by Councillor Medara of the incident on the night Hextech was properly born. She can imagine what it would looked like to someone who fell for the lie. A young man trying to sneak someone around his age -who is banned from the academy- into his bedroom in the dead of night. She internally laughs at the thought of a younger Viktor frowning in fake confusion as they are caught red handed. There was a certainty he would rarely make that mistake now, unless he was tired from staying up late working, which happens a bit too often to be healthy, in her opinion.

Sky continues transferring the last of the notes as Viktor retorts. “At least I had an excuse, you’ve never been the best at quickly finding a believable lie.”

“I’m not exactly the type to suggest breaking into the office of the Dean to steal work at midnight.”

The woman’s eyes widen slightly. She knew that Viktor could be mischievous if he wanted, but she would have never guessed that scheme was his idea. There were some people in Piltover who have made that guess, but Sky only ever hears those conversations in hushed whispers at events. Piltovens making assumptions of one of the greatest minds of their time just because of his origins as a Zaunite. The scraping of chair legs on floor brings her attention back to the present.

Notes now finished, Sky turns to look at the two with curious eyes as Jayce walks across the room to lean against the desk Viktor was working on, arms crossed and a smirk on his face. The Zaunite responds with a small smirk of his own.

“Ahh, but I wasn’t in possession of illegal materials that needed stealing back.”

Jayce blows a few puffs of air out of his nose as he held in his light laughter as he clasps a hand on Viktor’s shoulder. “I’ll let you have that one,” he muses. “But you have to give me some credit, if it weren’t for me having illegal materials that got me arrested and expelled, we probably would have never properly met, and Hextech may have never happened.” His eyes don’t leave Viktor as he continues, smirk turning into a warm smile. “Although, with a mind like yours, I wouldn’t be surprised if you would have moved up to being a scientist either way.”

Viktor hummed as he placed his own hand on Jayce’s. “Changing the world for the better has always been my goal,” he cocks his head slightly. “But if those illegal objects were the first domino to meeting you and changing the world with you, I think I can let it slide.”

Sky notes that his smirk has also changed, his face forming a much softer appearance. His tone matched. Sky has only ever seen her boss like this around Jayce, and she wasn’t too sure if anyone else has seen this contrast to his often serious facial expressions. She couldn’t help but wonder about what was going through his head that made him look at his more popular partner in such a way.

She also notes that the two stay like this for a few moments. Jayce’s hand on his partner’s shoulder, and said partner resting his own hand on top. A pale thumb rubbing circles into the back of the tan hand.

The woman is unsure of what to do as they look at each other. It’s as if they were in a trance. They are generally friendly around each other, and they clearly care for each other dearly, but moments where they look at each other like this had always been brief. Mere seconds that are insignificant to the hours of working beforehand, but always leave the lab in a different atmosphere for a while. Not a bad atmosphere, but Sky always somehow felt like she was intruding, despite working here.

Viktor must have felt her looking at him, as he slowly glanced in her direction, Jayce following the path of his gaze. She makes eye contact with the two of them for not even a full second (way too long in her opinion) before sheepishly turning her head back to the pages filled with the copied notes in her hands. Out of the corner of her eye she can see the scientists quickly separate their hands, Jayce taking a small awkward step away from Viktor, who steals peeks in his direction. His face showed a easily missable expressions of a look of… something. Confusion? Longing? Curiosity? Sky can’t quite place it.

She clears her throat as she takes a few steps forward and holds out the papers, unsure if either of them are comfortable with her approaching or not.

“I uhhh- I’ve finished copying the notes on the current project from the chalkboard.” She hopes they don’t notice her ears burning.

“You’ll now be able to erase the chalk to make more space fo-for new observations a-and equations.” Her ears feel even warmer as she fumbles over her words.

Jayce takes the papers from her hands, avoiding eye contact with both her and Viktor. “Thank you, Sky. We will, you know, need the space with what we have to plan out for our current focus.” The assistant fidgets with her sleeves as her eyes switch between the two men. “Should I rub out the chalk now, or will that part of the project be started tomorrow?”

Viktor nods, “We would appreciate it if you do it now, thank you. It’s probably a good idea to get started on it that area of the equations needed today.” His eyes flick to Jayce one last time before he turns back to his book and continues to write.

Sky is more than happy to get to work on something and put her focus on anything but the scientists as Jayce returns to where he was sat previously.

She concludes that she’s right. The way they interact with each other is interesting.

Chapter Text

“It must have been thrilling to see the latest Hextech product come to life first hand,” Caitlyn paused to take a sip of her water, alcohol not being an option while she was in uniform. “Jayce hasn’t worked himself too much, has he?”

Sky hummed as she placed her own glass down onto the table. “Jayce at least knows to take breaks and spend time doing other activities, such as talking with friends,” she traced the rim of her glass with a finger as she conversed with the younger girl. “It’s Viktor we need to worry about.”

Caitlyn shrugged, “No surprise there, he’s slowly becoming all the golden boy will talk about.”

“Really?”

“Not all he will talk about, of course,” the noblewoman rotated the enforcer hat in her hands absentmindedly as they talked. “But he’s becoming a common topic, you should’ve seen the amount of detail he describes Viktor’s work compared to his own!”

Sky giggles, “Oh trust me, I’ve seen a lot more.”

She looks around the busy hall as people talk, eat and even dance. Extravagant decorations, music and the smell of food contributed to filling most of her senses, the key colour scheme of the decorations being white, gold and some light blue as a nod to one of Piltover’s main cause of fame and trade. The presentation of the new Hextech project went smoother than expected. The new technology was the main buzz of conversation as people socialised. Whenever you could find a councillor, they were most likely already making trade deals gleefully.

Sky spotted the main subject of her conversation with Caitlyn talking to Councillor Medarda, his eyes crinkling as they laughed together. Caitlyn leaned in her chair to follow Sky’s line of sight. “It’s quite impressive,”

The assistant turned back to her. “What is?”

“Their relationship,” Caitlyn began. “They were confirmed to be an item at some point, but they broke up later on since, and I quote;” she pushed her chest out and waved her hands in a mocking manner, deepening her voice. “We simply found we weren’t mean to be in a relationship like that, we’re better off as friends!” She relaxed her posture again as she broke out of character. “Yet they don’t get petty about it. If it were any other councillor, our good friend would have probably had a harder time funding Hextech afterwards.”

Sky nodded in agreement. “You’re not wrong there,” she replied. “We know they’re only platonic now though. They aren’t even matching together.”

While Councillor Medarda wore her usual black, white and gold attire, Jayce wore a his regular formal outfit, consisting of a black suit trousers, a black shirt and a white suit jacket. Although, he made sure to incorporate more red into this particular wardrobe, keeping the red tie and replacing any gold on his clothes with the same shade of crimson, except for his shoulder pads, which kept the gold outlining the red. While some would overlook the red and see no difference, it’s not uncommon knowledge that if a couple intend to match, they match in colours and style to a tee.

“He was very insistent that he found a jacket with a red outline rather than gold. Sky voiced what she saw just the week before. “He normally doesn’t care of things like this, he’s always contempt with the same thing every celebration.”

Caitlyn squinted her eyes in thought. “Maybe you can ask him about it yourself?” She finished her water and stood up after glancing at the large clock on the wall next to them. “My break is done, and you may be a bit lonely otherwise.”

“Very funny,” sky replied. “Well, enjoy your evening.” She waved as the girl disappeared from sight.

~

The assistant wove between the crowds of Piltovans, careful not to bump into anyone. She goes for one break to the toilet, and it’s as if more people joined halfway through the party. She tries to not cry out as she gets elbowed and bumps into someone. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t intend for that to happen! I-“ she stops her tumbling apology as a familiar voice laughs kindly. “There’s no need to worry about it,” Councillor Medarda assured the panicking woman. “Accidents are more prone to happen in settings such as this.”

“You’re fine, Sky.” Jayce patted her on the shoulder in reassurance.

Sky pushed her glasses back up her face as she checks around the two. There was nobody else in their group, from what she could tell. “Did you two spend over an hour talking to only each other?”

“Can you blame me?” Jayce raised his hands defensively while grinning. “Mel knows all of the good stuff going on.” Said woman playfully swats his shoulder, quietly giggling as he exposes her experience with the council’s dramatics.

“You’re not wrong there,” Sky agreed before turning back to the councillor. “Councillor Med-“

“No need to worry about the formalities at this point, Sky,” Mel spread her hands in a welcoming gesture. “You’ve been working with us for over a year, and we’ve spoken plenty of times before.” The corners of her lips curve upwards into a relaxed smile, considering Sky a good friend by now. “Please, call me Mel.”

“Alright then, Mel,” Sky let the taste of the name settle on her tongue for a moment. Not what she was used to, but she was happy if it hinted they were getting closer. “What has been going on recently? How are the other members of the council?”

Mel gave her another reassuring smile as she answered. “Same as always, trying to influence each other, not showing much interest in anything besides improving their reputations,” she turned her head to look elsewhere, raising her index finger for Sky to follow. “Except for Heimerdinger of course.”

Sky could see said yordle not too far away sat down at a table, his poro, Professor, laying next to him somehow half asleep despite all of the stimulation the room had to offer. The view, sound, and smell didn’t seem to affect the small creature too much. *Must be nice to be able to fall asleep in conditions like this,* Sky thought to herself. She can only imagine how much stronger the smell of all the perfume, alcohol and food was to him.

Heimerdinger was animatedly talking. Presumably to someone sat with him, if his unwavering eyes and proud smile were to mean anything. Sky looked over to the other side of the table to see none other than Viktor to be the one Heimerdinger was enjoying the party with, sitting relaxed, and without the usual hunched posture he has while working. He had his cane in one hand, his face wearing a smile of his own as he occasionally spoke back to his old boss.

What surprised Sky the most, though, was what he was wearing. His attire was the typical suit trousers most men in the room were wearing, but he was also wearing a black dress shirt with a white waistcoat, the vest was outlined in the same shade of red Jayce was wearing. To top it off, Viktor was also wearing the same tie. The young woman turned back to look at Jayce, blinking once. Twice. Thrice. The Piltovian looked back at her with a radiant, yet sheepish expression. “I know, I know,” he put a hand to the back of his neck. “I wasn’t fully expecting him to even want to stick around for this part of the celebration, but I’m pleasantly surprised.”

Sky shifted her eyes over to Mel, who raised an eyebrow with a knowing smile. The assistant didn’t fully understand what she knew, but she knows it has something to do with both Jayce and Viktor.
“You should’ve seen how my mother reacted,” Sky turned her attention back to her boss. “She was surprised at first too, but she smiled and congratulated me, then asked me when ‘the first date’ was and why I didn’t mention it.” Sky had to put her press her fingers over her mouth to hold in the laugh that threatened to leave her throat. She coughed into her hand a few times, to pass off her amusement as an attempt to clear something. Jayce doesn’t seem to notice, and so he continues to needlessly justify his matching attire with Vicor.

“I mean, I know that a matching wardrobe is more known among romantic couples,” The rambling saga seems endless. “But it’s still done amongst people who are generally close, you know? I just feel that Viktor and I are…” He slowed down as he realised he had the full attention of his friends, his cheeks faintly turning a slightly darker shade while he tried to put the topic to a close. “I just think that we are close, we’re partners- *work* partners. We’ve been work partners for years and he means a lot to me.”

Mel places a hand on his forearm as his face falls into his hand. “We get it, you two are close friends and matching was appealing.” She gave Sky that same knowing face and changed the subject. “Speaking of, I was just telling Jayce how I’ve managed to convince the council to give you three more time off, two optional days per week to be exact.” Sky couldn’t help but clasp her hands together in excitement, two whole possible days off where she could get more personal projects or hobbies sorted. It certainly makes scheduling a lot easier.

“Thank you so much Mel!” She knows this setting is meant to be more formal and reserved, but Jayce and Viktor’s habit of not containing their excitement must have rubbed off onto her. Getting days off of work from the council is no easy feat. “It’s what you all deserve,” Mel picked up a glass of champaign from a nearby table. “Heimerdinger and I both agree that spending every day in a lab working won’t be the best for your mental or physical health.” Her face suddenly falls into a slight grimace. “The hardest person to persuade to accept slightly slowing down production was Councillor Hoskel.”

Her green eyes focused on something behind Sky and the grimace that invaded her features only deepens ever so slightly. “Speaking of…”Sky peers over her shoulder to see the man they were just discussing striding across the floor towards them with his own glass of champagne in hand. Around him, guests briskly move out of his way, some glancing at him in annoyance as he barges through conversations.

“Councillor Medarda!” He greeted Mel before turning his head towards Sky in hesitation. “…Miss.” Huh, Sky internally sighed. Nice to know I’m appreciated. Mel gave her an apologetic look as the shorter councillor turns to Jayce with a flourish. “Jayce Talis, just the man I wanted to see!” He clasped a hand on Jayce’s forearm where Mel’s once was a few minuets ago. The scientist clearly didn’t find it nearly as comforting. “Excellent work on the project today,” Hoskel continued, oblivious to the discomfort of the person he was talking to. “We’re already getting requests for trade, everyone adores your latest piece of Hextech.”

He turns to Mel and chortles as he elbows her lightly. He misses the smile becoming even more strained as a result. “But we wouldn’t expect anything better from the father of the technology, would we!”

Jayce’s face contorted into a look of confusion, and after looking between Mel and Sky he cleared his throat. “I think you mean ‘fathers’, councillor.” He paused as Hoskel turned back to him with a frown, but pressed on after a moment. “If it weren’t for Viktor, I would have never set foot in the academy again, or discover what I missed when stabilising the arcane.” His confidence gradually rose the more he talked, but his shoulders remained tense. “I may be the one doing all of the talking, but we wouldn’t even be having this conversation if it weren’t for him. I may not even be…” His he trailed off of the last sentence.

Due to her close proxemics to him and her sober state, Sky catches the near silent waver of Jace’s tone. She raises an eyebrow in curiosity. He may not even be what? Jace’s face falls as his eyes grow almost distant, as if he was recalling a painful memory. Sky never shoved herself into what his life was like before Hextech, especially the period of time where he was rejected from the academy. But from small snippets of conversation and his body language towards the topic, she can tell it was a low point for him.

She felt her stomach begin to slowly sink when the older man only brushed her boss off. “Well yes, but I assume you’re the one doing most of the work behind closed doors.” This manages to get Sky to forget the situation and open her mouth, ready to defend Victor and his hard work on a whim. However, a hand on her shoulder and a glance from Mel reminded her that sometimes, silence was the best option for everyone.

But Jayce didn’t have the same mindset, his thick brows lowering slightly. “What do you mean sir?” He sounded confused, but the subtle wary edge to his tone indicated that he knew what the councillor was implying. “While we both contribute as much to our work as possible, Viktor is more often than not the one doing extremely late nights.”

Sky helplessly shifted her eyes back to Mel, who was wearing a look of discomfort of her own. Not even ten minuets ago everyone was happily talking, now it’s beginning to feel more like some kind of argument. Which is basically what it was escalating to if Jayce and Hoskel both insisted on speaking their minds to each other without a thought for the consequences.

“Councillor Hoskel,” Mel stepped into the conversation. “I can also vouch for Viktor’s conscientiousness.” She glances back in the direction Heimerdinger and Viktor were seen talking, before reminding her peer of one of her key points from yesterday. “I mentioned how concerning the extent he and Jayce were putting Hextech above their more personal lives was yesterday.”

Hoskel swirled the champagne in his hand, the bubble infused liquid lapping a bit too close to the edge for Sky’s liking. She doesn’t need her favourite dress to become dampened like her mood. Sage green was one of her favourite colours. Hoskel, in classic Hoskel like fashion, just brushes Mel off like he did with Jayce. “Yes, yes, I remember. But I feel my assumptions are justified with how people like him are.”

The young woman’s mouth was suddenly dry as Jayce blinked a few times, seemingly letting the words sink in. Why is there always someone throwing poorly hidden judgements? Moving to Piltover in the first place was no easy feat for Sky, but the insults never get easier to hear. Even when they aren’t directed at her in particular. Jayce finally got over the initial shock of Hoskel’s loose lipped comment. Normally, even he managed to not make comments as blatant as this. Jayce quickly wet his lips, the gears in his head clearly turning to think between letting the drunken comment slide, or confronting the councillor. “What do you mean, ‘people like him’?”

Sky already knows the answer. After all, she counted as ‘people like him’. Hoskel took a sip and nonchalantly shrugs his shoulders, his noticeably pink cheeks being more formed out of the amount of drinks he had than any shame in his body. “You know how people from the undercity are,” Sky shuffles a few centimetres away as she noticed Jayce’s hands twitch. She knows that the engineer would never dare lay a hand on someone unless it was to defend from violence. He was well known for the way he fights primarily with his words.

She can only guess how someone as ignorant towards their surroundings as Hoskel can be placed on the council of Piltover. Most would be aware of the mood they were putting someone taller and stronger than them in, no matter how determined said tall person is to only use their fists in worse case scenarios. But the grey man in front of them wasn’t most people. “They’re generally either brutes, or completely serpentine!” The man smacked his lips and hummed, swirling the champagne again in thought. “If I had to choose one to suit that man I’d say he’s-“

“With all due respect, Councillor Hoskel,” Sky swore she could see steam coming out of Jayce’s ears. “‘That man’ is one of my closest friends and my partner of quite a few years.” The assistant hastily turned to Mel yet again to find the woman in a state of agitation. Consistently opening and closing her mouth with her voice catching in her throat as if trying to tell the group of something. Jayce continued talking as shock crawled onto Hoskel’s face, clearly unused to someone not of the council disagreeing with him. At this point, Sky’s stomach could receive a gold medal for gymnastics, perhaps it broke a record.

“I don’t think it’s fair for you to brush off anyone’s hard work just because they’re from the undercity. Not everyone in Piltover is pleasant to be around either.” Sky appreciated her friend’s choice in inclusive language. It’s nice to know what he still keeps her in mind while defending Victor and their shared origins. Councillor Hoskel spluttered as he looked around in disbelief, small drops of champagne spilling from his glass. “I’m not trying to get him arrested!” He settles on glowering up at the younger man. “You’ve said it yourself, you wouldn’t have broken into the academy if it weren’t for him! I am only stating that with what we know-“

“I’ll say it again, sir.” Jayce’s voice visibly strained. His body language was tense from his squared shoulders to his fixed jaw and Sky worried that he may be more stressed out here than when he’s actually working. “Viktor has been one of my closest friends since Hextech started years ago, we aren’t just partners.” He pauses to close his eyes and took a loud inhale from his nose, remembering to calm himself down given who he was talking to. Mel had given up on trying to inform him on what she was worried about, and now stood silently, suddenly very interested in her drink. “We have done things that regular friends do, we’ve spoken about things that close friends would only share with each other when they cannot to turn to any other loved ones. Whether the reason would be talking to a face they fear to disappoint, or to a grave.” He raises his voice slightly to cover the sound of Hoskel trying to interrupt with a raised bearded chin.

“I’ve also seen the way he works.” If his voice didn’t give it away, his face showed his irritation. “He does so much, just to improve the lives of everyone, to make everyone’s quality of life even just a little bit better. I can see it in his eyes alone.” Hoskel raises an eyebrow at this, struggling to take in Jayces words. Sky wouldn’t be surprised if all the older man was hearing was ‘you are wrong’. The scientist was determined to make him head otherwise. “I can see his upmost determination to do his best for other people, despite how most have treated him.” If you knew Jayce personally you could easily see he was holding himself back from Hoskel. He had more he wanted to say, to defend. Sky could only wonder how much he was truly restraining himself.

She snaps her head to face the floor as she feels something rub against her calves. Her eyes fell on Professor the poro leaning against her legs and watching the scene with great interest. Heimerdinger was stood behind them both, looking up at her with knowledgeable and skeptical eyes. It seems everyone currently knows something she doesn’t.

Jayce still wasn’t done. “We’ve spent time together even outside of our work throughout those years, so I think I know him well enough to know that-“

“To know that he would want everyone to just calm down and enjoy the night.” Sky whipped her head around for what felt like the dozenth time tonight as Viktor steps around her towards Jayce, his eyebrows knitted together in the same way his friend’s just were. “I’m sure Councillor Hoskel had no malicious intentions.” He acknowledged said councillor with an apologetic nod. “I’m sorry if you feel at all insulted sir. My good friend cares very deeply for his loved ones.” He steps further in front of Jayce, blocking him from interrupting to insist on continuing his mini speech.
“We all know what stress built up from work can do to somebody admirably passionate when something they care about appears to be threatened.” He shot a look in Jayce’s direction, who only cleared his throat at first, but apologised after the man he was just defending gestures towards Hoskel with his head. A bit reluctant, but with how intoxicated the councillor appears to be, it’s good enough.

Hoskel straightened his posture. “Of course, I meant no harm. I suppose it’s a good thing you are getting those breaks now, hmm?” Viktor’s smile seems slightly forced after the mention of time removed from progress. We’ll need to work on that, Sky stored the thought away for later. “Yes, it is. Thank you again, Councillor Hoskel.” Heimerdinger and Mel seemed to read the signs that it’s best to get their fellow councillor to go somewhere else, and Heimerdinger takes one for the team. “Hoskel, my good fellow! How about you and I go try some of that champagne they just brought out?” Heimerdinger ignores Professor’s whine of protest, and Hoskel’s eyes gleam at what must be the thought of another drink.

Mel turns her head towards the scientists as the yordle leads the staggering man away, his fluffy poro keeping a distance from the human. An unimpressed look could be seen on her face. “There has been only one brand of champagne opened throughout the evening.” She rolls her eyes. “Not that he’ll know the difference between alcohol and the water Heimerdinger will give him instead.” The hint that this wasn’t their first time dealing with a drunk councillor was easy to pick up on. She shamefully faced Viktor and Sky, both hands on her drink as she finds what to say. “I am terribly sorry about him. He’s very… opinionated.” Viktor shrugged “I’ve grown somewhat used to such things, this isn’t new to me.” He eyes Jayce, who was huffing and staring at Hoskel as Heimerdinger lead him to a chair. “I’m sorry that Mr Defender Of Friendships here nearly bit his head off.” The Defender of Friendship’s face turned from bitter to fully sour in a manner of seconds. “What, so I just let him talk about you like that? After everything you’ve done?”

“He’ll probably think worse of me if he sees I have this kind of impact on you.”

Jayce fell silent and crossed his arms. Viktor inhaled as if preparing himself to say something, but looked briefly at Sky and Mel. They got the hint. “How about we go and see if I’m right about that champagne being the same?” Mel nods to a table at the other side of the room.

“Sounds good to me. Have a good night you two, I’ll see you both tomorrow.”

Sky swore she could hear Viktor sigh in relief before speaking again. “Don’t think I don’t appreciate the help, how did all of that start?” She wasn’t certain if that was word for word, but that’s what it sounded like as she and Mel hurried further and further away.

~

Sky stared into her glass as she shifted in her seat. Mel tapped her glass of alcohol with her nails absentmindedly. Both parties didn’t know what to say in a situation like this. Mel must have gotten fed up waiting for the ice to be broken. “They’re good friends, I’m sure it’ll take more than a councillor who had a few too many drinks to make any actual damage.”

Sky rubbed her eyes. “Do you think they’re at all angry at each other though?”

Mel didn’t hesitate to answer. “No. Frustrated, yes. But angry,” she brought her lips to the glass’s rim and tilted it, letting the liquid pour into her mouth and swallowed. “No. If you heard Viktor earlier, they’re most likely talking about the incident now.”

The Noxian’s tapping on the glass became harsher. “But Jayce took a close call there.” Sky turned her line of sight to Jayce and Viktor in the most isolated corner of the hall. At first, the pair seemed frustrated while they talked, like Mel said. But over a short period of time, they seemed calmer, more exhausted. Viktor now had his hand placed on Jayce’s forearm, almost exactly where Mel and Hoskel’s were. Jayce visibly relaxed at his touch the most. Leaned into it, even. It was hard to see from this distance, but one could make it out.

Sky brought her attention back to the current conversation. “I guess even celebrities have it rough sometimes?” She looked into her beverage again. Watching small bubbles rise to the surface and disappear. “It’s not fair, the way they are both treated sometimes.” Her nose wrinkles as she scowls. “There are reoccurring whispers about Viktor just because of his leg and where we’re from, and Jayce cannot let himself seem to be anything but optimistic and cheerful all of the time without the risk of an outrage.” She looks up to Councillor M- Mel again. “I don’t even know what you have to put up with at events like this. Is it any wonder that Viktor almost never attends these?”

Mel rested her elbows on the table. “I have my outlets. I’m sure they have theirs, as well as each other.” This spiked Sky’s interest. “What do you do as an outlet?” Mel smiled at her curiosity. The assistant looked akin to a giddy poro pup with big eyes and an enthusiastic energy surrounding her. “Painting is a hobby I have,” her nails stopped their tapping on the champagne glass. “I’m probably going to continue my current canvas after the events of tonight.” Out of the corner of her eye, she glared at Hoskel who was now chatting Heimerdinger’s ear off on a table not too far away from theirs. An idea seemed to pop into her head as her eyes made their way back to her current companion. “I could show you my paintings if you’d like? If you don’t have plans for the rest of the evening of course.”

If the other woman had the right kind of ears, they would’ve perked up. “I would love to!” She replied with a beam. “I don’t have anything scheduled.” Mel smiled back at her. “I do suggest we finish off our drinks first though, I would never hear the end of it from most of the council if we are seen wasting two glasses of alcohol.” Something catches her attention again and causes her to look past and across the room, Sky follows in suit to take in the sight of Jayce and Viktor slow dancing.

Viktor’s cane was against the wall, so most of his weight was most likely on his steady leg. Jayce offered him some support too, with an arm around his back should it become too much for his right leg and they need to stop. The lab partners leaned close together as they swayed slowly, looks of contempt and, much to the amusement of the women, slight bashfulness on both of their faces.

Sky turns back around to see Mel smirking again. “What did I tell you?”

“I’m beginning to see why Mrs Talis thought they weren’t simply friends.” Sky giggled as Mel stifled a chuckle with her hand. After looking at the glass with interest for a moment, Sky took a sip of the champagne, swirling it in her mouth as the flavour sinks in. “You’re right,” she states her thoughts. “It’s the same brand.” A grin of her own reaches her cheeks. “Is someone going to tell Councillor Hoskel, or should we let him think they have water flavoured champagne?”

She ignores the startled looks from guests as Mel releases a loud laugh her hand couldn’t oppress.

Chapter Text

Sky slowly crawled out from under the desk, and peeked over the edge at the littered shards. Viktor removed his goggles, his lips curled in a small grimace. “I don’t think that stayed within the calculated zone.” He picked up a scrap of metal to observe it closely. Nervous chuckling came from his partner. As he picked up a piece of chalk, Jayce walked to the furthest piece of metal, and started to wander in a circle, dragging the chalk on the ground of the laboratory with him. “I don’t think that stayed within our calculation in general.” Sky dusted her knees off as she glanced to the chalkboards.

They were filled to the brim with numbers and equations, as well as the occasional note explaining which ones the scientists should and shouldn’t try. Her eyes flicked down to her watch. It was already two in the afternoon since they started their day’s work at ten in the morning. She looked back to her bosses, picking up her clip board as Viktor attempted to rub out the previous danger zone’s circle with his shoe to no avail, and Jayce swept up the scraps of metal with his bare hands. Probably not the best idea considering how sharp some pieces are. The assistant looked back down at the table drawn on the sheet of paper attached to the clipboard. The first fail for the accuracy rate box. She took a pencil from her pocket and started writing out the details of the experiment. Lasted longest out of the machinery. Explosion bigger than a welder by several inches.

The only sounds in the room were Sky’s pencil gently scratching against the paper, Viktor stepping to the chalkboards to look for any other options, and Jayce still sweeping up scrap metal. Her writing was paused as she thought through how she felt about this experiment. Sure, they had carefully adjusted the factors before hand to make sure any explosions wouldn’t cause too much damage or any casualties, but she knew this was arguably childish. The group had some spare time for once and decided to see how well certain everyday items could handle their temperature before critically overheating. They had just attempted a kettle. Despite her own curiosity, Sky didn’t see why they needed to-

Her thoughts were cut short when a sharp hiss rang through the lab, and the faint clink of mettle falling to the floor made itself known on the side. This was followed by the sound of Viktor’s tongue clicking when he finally gave up on rubbing out the circle. “I tell you time and time again, use some form of protection for your fingers.” With the assistance of his cane, he makes his way over to Jayce while scolding him like a disappointed elder. “Yet you do this every single time. It’s like we’re a broken record.” Jayce looked sheepish as he poured the scrap metal in his hand into a small bag he used in place of a makeshift bin. “I like to think I’ll learn to do it in a certain way.”

“There is a certain way.” Viktor holds his hand out to look at the cut, an expectant expression on his face that Sky has seen multiple times whenever the effect of ignoring his advice pops up. “With gloves.”

“Maybe I’ll take your advice…” Jayce stayed crouched down, putting even more scraps of metal into the bag with his bare hands before grinning up at his friend. “…someday.” Viktor rolled his eyes with the faintest glimmer of amusement on his features. “Just let me see it.” Sky leaned over to see for herself.

The cut didn’t look deep, but Jayce had somehow managed to get the piece of sharp metal to cut a good inch or two across his palm. Viktor examined the minor wound, looking for any dirt as he hummer to himself before turning to his assistant. “Sky,” said assistant stood up straighter as she was addressed, eyes fixed on Viktor to show he had her full attention. “Could you get the first aid kit? I don’t think we should risk an infection.”

”Of course, Viktor.” As Sky turned on her heel and nearly sped-walked to the corner of the lab, a few memories resurfaced in her mind. Memories of mere cuts and scratches on her old friends turning swollen and red when invaded by bacteria. Not to mention the smell that could result when they were bad enough. Jayce didn’t seem to share her point of view. “Do we really need to put alcohol on? We’re in our laboratory, one of the cleanest places in the building.” Viktor pulled out a chair to sit down, still holding Jayce’s hand. “You just got cut by scrap from an old, possibly rusted machine we found on the street.” He paused to check over the cut yet again. “Back in Zaun we would be playing a game by now to guess what an infection would smell like.” Sky shuddered, the mere memory of the ‘game’ bringing back the putrid smells. Opening a drawer, she found the small case she was looking for, and was already bringing it back over to the pair. Whom were still half-heartedly arguing much to her amusement. “But this isn’t Zaun, it’s Piltov-“

“Which means we have the resources to properly prevent an infection.”
“Running it under a tap is fine.”
“I’ve seen enough pus oozing wounds to last a lifetime before the age of nine. I’d rather not have to see another one ever again.” Jayce made a face. A sour face as if he was the unfortunate champion of a lemon eating contest. “Pus seems to be your favourite word right now.”
“You seem to not mind taking the risk of getting it-“

“If I may, you both have good points.” Sky decided now was the time to join in as she passed the shining medical kit over. “While we can just rinse it and call it a day,” She gave Jayce a slightly apologetic grin. “We don’t know where that toaster had been.” Jayce looked between the pair, his mouth gaping open and closed like a fish struggling to deliver a presentation to its peers before giving up with a look of defeat. “Just don’t do that thing when you press it hard into the wound.” Viktor’s only response was an unconvincing hum as he opened the lid with a soft click, revealing an arrangement of cotton, solutions, and various tiny sharp items for precise cuts and injections. However, only two of the mentioned items would be needed.

While Viktor plucked a cotton pad from a compartment, Sky thought she may as well give their latest results. “The kettle lasted longer than the toaster, and scattered more than the welding device.” His interest freshly piqued, Jayce’s head perked up somewhat like Heimerdinger’s loyal poro. “Maybe it’s due to the kettle being thin in comparison to the welder, but had a higher heat limit that the toaster.” He places his free hand to his chin, thinking over the implications of their experiment. “The kettle was over half rusted, so it probably isn’t as sturdy as a kettle made this year, or even four years ago- give me a warning, Viktor!”

“You’ve had worse.” The zaunite dismissed, pressing the alcohol soaked pad over the slice in the skin. Sky’s pen stopped on her paper, curious eyes looking to one of her bosses. “Are you implying we should get a fresh kettle to see if there’s a difference?” Her other boss also grows quick interest. “Shall I get the one from the break room?” The two were then met by a strong hand waving in their faces. “I never said we should blow our kettle up!” Viktor looks at the corner of the room, where a scrap heap of both rust and shimmering surfaces lay. “We’ve already recked the toaster-”
“Because we hardly use it.” Jayce interrupted.
“The one thing that keeps the three of us going most the time is caffeine.” But it was too late. A familiar glimmer of excited curiosity had appeared in Viktor’s eye. “We can get a new kettle. Perhaps we can even get an extra to test a completely fresh one too. Think of the more precise theory and data!” Sky opened her mouth, eager to join and suggest repeating the experiment with three more different kettles to pinpoint how reliable their results are even more. But the look of regret and nervousness on Jayce’s face was almost enough to keep her lips sealed completely.

Almost. “I’ll get to ordering a kettle for a replacement.” The brunet closed the lid with another much more lively click, before he lifted himself off his chair with the support of his cane. “Yes, yes! Good initiative, Sky. I’ll get more paper for recording.” The assistant took this as a cue to go and order a new kettle as soon as she could, hoping a delivery within the day was possible before they found themselves needing to live off of mugs of bitter coffee to keep going into the next day. As she rounded the corner out of the room, she faintly heard her peers talking. “I know you like your experiments, but our kettle?”

….

They would have their new kettle within four hours. “We’ll live!” Sky assured herself as she carried their next victim back to the laboratory. Although, the strange glances sent her way by passer-by’s reminded her just how odd this would look to anyone else, especially given how quickly the trio go through coffee beans as well as teas and other warm drinks in the colder seasons. “…Hopefully.”

Within ten feet of the laboratory, she couldn’t hear any familiar banter, so she assumed Viktor and Jayce had gotten back to busying themselves. However, upon silently opening the door, Sky saw them embracing instead. It wasn’t the short and giddy kind between two friends making an achievement, but still and definitely more complicated in terms of meaning. She didn’t understand what she walked in on, but she felt like she was intruding. Sure, this wasn’t the first time she felt as if she was coming at the wrong time, but not to the degree where she felt she had to back away to the side. All she could do was hope they haven’t seen her, and wait right around the corner to time her entrance when they were done. She waited for the sound of footsteps, or fidgeting of metal, only for them to start speaking.

Viktor spoke first, a playful twang to his tone. “You think this will explode with more pressure required?” His counterpart snickered.
“Your ambition’s consequences will rear its head one day, Viktor.” Piltover’s golden boy didn’t use the loud, confident voice the public knew. Instead, he spoke softer, lower in energy as if anything too powerful by even the slightest notch would blow his friend- if he could be called that -away. “I have a feeling it’s going to be ugly.” A smile could be heard in Viktor’s tone. “Ah, but you’re the one with the reputation of the ambitious scientist striving to constantly change our future.” 

“Even though you need a leash with how much you run around making the messiest tests possible on the whim of a single implication of evidence.”
“Very few will ever believe that, even if it comes from you.” There was a silence, but it was rather thick. The tension of the room and words being considered leaking out into the hall and hammering into Sky’s ears. One moment passed, one knock left by the silence. Two moments passed, two persistent knocks. Three moments, three loud knocks. Four moments, four unbearable, hammering knocks. “I suppose that’s another reason to feel grateful I’m one of the few who get to know you.”

Sky didn’t want to risk further intrusion, but she knew wandering around aimlessly with a kettle in her arms would have people questioning what her bosses doing with their time. Thanks to her old frenemy, madam overthinking, she improvised. She took several large steps back, before walking to the door with half her usual speed and almost twice her usual volume. Luckily for her, the two had separated and made themselves look busy by the time she poked her head around. “I have the kettle.” She said as cluelessly as possible. It didn’t seem to convince Viktor as much as it did Jayce, but the former didn’t display any strong responses. “Thank you, Sky.” He nodded, eyebrows furrowing slightly in worry. Jayce noticed, and was quick to reassure him. “I’m not *that* bothered by it.” He offered a smile. “I’m sure another one has already been ordered.” However, the young woman could read between the lines just as well as the other Zaunite in the room.

Viktor wasn’t conscious of the kettle.

Sky faked a cough. “Well, this kettle won’t overheat itself.” She held the kettle out with a small nod. Slowly, pale hands took it as the head of the owner nodded back with the same hesitant lack of comfort. “Yes. Let’s see how much longer this lasts than the rust.”

The kettle did last longer, but Jayce was the only one who gave the explosion his undivided attention. His group had their minds and concerns wandering elsewhere.