Chapter Text
It started with a plant.
A little thing, something that might flower when the weather turned warmer, with long green, fan-like leaves that drooped towards the desk and a tall stem that threatened to grow beyond the confines of the lab. For now, it was still small, resting on one of their desks in a plain grey ceramic pot, unassuming.
"What's that?" Viktor asked.
"Pretty sure you've seen plants before, Vik," Jayce replied. He chuckled at the droll look Viktor sent him. "It's a gift from my mother, for progress day. She gave us a card too, see?"
And she had. Ximena Talis was nothing if not kind. Every birthday and anniversary of their creation of Hextech—their partnership, as Jayce would say—she'd send a gift and a card. The plant was new though. Viktor almost wished for the wine she normally gave them.
"Dear Jayce and Viktor," the card said, "Congratulations! Your speech was wonderful. I am so very proud of you both and everything you have done together. Happy Progress Day!"
Viktor hummed, a small smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. "I hope she wrote this before we were robbed," he said. He did always like Ximena, she was nothing but nice to him, in a rich oblivious Piltovan way, but he still appreciated it.
Next to him, Jayce didn't chuckle, didn't even respond. Viktor glanced up at him, at the strong lines of his body standing tall over him. Jayce's face was flat, expressionless, his eyes locked on the card in Viktor's hands like it was something to be wary of. Maybe the joke was tasteless. Their lab was still a mess. Spray paint still needed to be cleaned off the walls and window, and Viktor was still trying to determine just how many of their notes were gone.
Thank the Gods he always made backups. Though he wasn’t even sure where they were right now.
"Jayce?" he said, reaching out tentatively for Jayce’s wrist, too wary to make actual contact. "What's wrong?"
"I'm an idiot," Jayce groaned, slumping down in the empty seat next to Viktor.
"Depends on what you're talking about," Viktor replied, placing the card on the table in front of him. One of the few places that hadn't been touched by their thief. "It was hardly your fault that we've been robbed."
Jayce shook his head and dropped a hand onto Viktor's shoulder. He never could get over just how big Jayce's hands were on him, just how gentle he was with them. These were thoughts that were never appropriate for the stations they held. And yet, he couldn’t stop them.
"Not that," Jayce whispered and took a deep breath. "The speech, the presentation, I failed you. I don't know why I didn't do the presentation. Heimerdinger and Mel were telling me two different things—"
"What do you mean Heimerdinger and Mel?" Viktor asked. He sat straighter in his chair. Pain flared in his back at the sudden movement, and he swallowed back a small groan.
"Doesn't matter right now. I shouldn't have let them get to my head, is all I'm saying. I should have done the presentation like I promised. I'm sorry."
Jayce's hand on his shoulder was like a brand. In the fear and anger that followed immediately after learning their research had been stolen, their lab trashed, Viktor had almost forgotten Jayce's Progress Day speech. He'd almost forgotten how he sat there, waiting for the one thing he needed to do, and watching Jayce skip right over it like it was nothing. Like he was nothing.
If he had gone up there like Jayce asked, would it have turned out the same?
"It's alright," he said, but he always was a terrible liar, and it's one of the first things Jayce learned about him.
"Don't do that," Jayce said. He squeezed his shoulder and Viktor almost wanted to tell him to let go. Almost. "It's supposed to be the two of us, together. Even my mother can recognise that."
Jayce gestured to the card, still resting open on the desk. The first few words are bigger than all the rest. Dear Jayce and Viktor.
"Jayce—"
"It is though, it's meant to be us. I should have remembered that and I'm sorry I didn't." Jayce sighed and ran his free hand down his face. "Once we get the Gemstone back, I'll find a way for us to present it again. I promise."
The apology was as genuine as anything Jayce said, but there was still a twinge of hurt resting in his chest. He looked around the lab, at the mess they both sat within, and heaved a sigh.
"You know this is only going to make Heimerdinger push more on the security measures, don't you?" he said. They could barely even secure their own lab; what kind of top scientists were they? "A decade, Jayce. I don't—We can't afford to lose that much time."
Viktor didn't have that much time. He could feel it with every step he took and every rattling breath. He had years, perhaps, but not a decade.
Jayce sighed, eyes downcast. "I know," he said. "We'd best get started on it now then, huh? It won't take us a decade. We're the best minds in Piltover. Six months, it'll take us six months."
He sounded so confident, but as Viktor glanced around their lab, he couldn't find himself mirroring the feeling. Years and years of work that resulted in things that only benefitted Piltover and the rich traders, nothing to help the everyday citizens. Nothing to help the people of the Undercity. And when they finally got the chance, their work had been so quickly stolen. Back to square one, like nothing even mattered.
Viktor didn't have a decade.
"When is our meeting with the council?" he asked, voice flat. He was surprised it wasn't a trial. If this was seven years ago, if they weren't Hextech, it would be. How strange, to have that amount of privilege now.
Jayce muttered a curse under his breath. "Soon, actually. I'm barely prepared for it," he said. "They're not going to be happy with us."
"It is not our responsibility to manage the security of this building. They can be mad at themselves for that."
Jayce laughed, even though Viktor didn't think he was being particularly funny. "I need you to tell them that, Vik."
Viktor pulled himself to his feet, his crutch resting awkwardly under his arm. Jayce's hand slipped from his shoulder. "I will if they let me speak."
"I'll make sure they do," Jayce replied. There was still an apology in his eyes and Viktor knew that if they could go back and do it all again, Jayce would have done the presentation like he promised. Maybe Viktor would have gotten up there with him. Hindsight will bury him.
He grabbed Jayce's hand as the man stood up next to him, something he so rarely did. Obviously, it was enough to make Jayce stop in his tracks. "I do forgive you, by the way," he said. The warmth of Jayce's hand in his was overwhelming, and he could almost imagine what it would be like for that level of affection to be normal between them.
Jayce smiled, all teeth and the gap between them. His hair was a mess after the chaos of the day, gelled strands hanging limp over his forehead. If anything, it made him prettier.
"You don't have to," he said.
"Too bad. I am, anyway," Viktor replied, raising an eyebrow at him.
"Well, if you're sure," Jayce said, a level of uncertainty in the waver of his voice.
Viktor squeezed his hand and let go, heading for the door. "Let's get this Council meeting over with. We need to clean this place up."
"Not like it's any messier than it normally is, really."
"Jayce."
Jayce never remembered how much he hated Council meetings until he was in the middle of one.
A constant barrage of questions with very little room for him to answer. Stupid questions, pointless questions, from people who could not ever understand what they were trying to do. Except Heimerdinger, who regarded them with a watchful eye as they explained their movements after the Progress Day speech and what the Gemstone was meant to be used for.
Sheriff Marcus stood next to him and all Jayce could think was that he should have been the one helping to safeguard Hextech. Why did it fall solely on his and Viktor's shoulders to do that? They were scientists, not soldiers, not enforcers. The only thing they should have been protecting their work from was plagiarism. And yet, it was falling on their shoulders anyway.
In the back of his mind were memories of the last time he had stood under the scrutiny of this Council, and the thought that these circumstances might actually be worse. He didn’t let himself linger there for long.
Councillor Bolbok asked if anyone from the Undercity could recreate Hextech, as if someone from the Undercity hadn't been the sole reason it existed in the first place. Jayce bristled at the question, at the long minutes of listening to the Councillors berate them and not so subtly insult Viktor's people. He answered, as honestly as he could, trying to act like the words didn't taste like ash in his mouth. He couldn’t look at Viktor while he said them.
Viktor, who hadn't said anything apart from (very smarmily) telling them that managing security wasn’t ever their responsibility. He’d said that, smirked subtly at the uproar it had caused, and stayed silent for the rest of the meeting. And Jayce knew why, he did, but Hextech was both of them. He couldn't make another decision without consulting him. He'd already done it once, and it had taken his mother to realise exactly what the consequences of that were. They'd built their dream together; he wasn't going to forget that now.
They should have had more time to discuss what they needed to do.
"It was our responsibility to safeguard our work and we failed." Lies, of a sort. But this is what the Council expected of them. He, at least, could say what they needed him to. Had that not been his job for years now? "Though, Viktor is right, the security of the building itself was never on our shoulders. Still, that mistake cost people their lives. I have come before you to recommend that more security be implemented at the Hexgates and... and at our lab. I also recommend that we slow the rate of Hexgate use, and bring in better inspection regulations."
The table erupted. Arguments borne only of privilege, things Jayce didn't care about, things that matter little in the face of what they were dealing with. Hoskel mentioned something about his wine, others mentioned Piltover's status and reputation, something that would ultimately be tainted if the rising threats weren't properly dealt with. Surely, the Councillors could realise that. Surely, Mel could. She had always been smarter than the rest.
Fingers encircled his wrist and he looked down at Viktor, sitting silently next to him. The tips of his fingers rested against Jayce's pulse point, a soothing warmth. Where would Jayce be, if not for Viktor?
"Shouldn't the safety of Piltover be your first priority?" Jayce asked, forcing his voice to be louder than the rest. The room silenced, and all eyes turned to him.
"You would reduce your own workload? For what?"
"The Hexgates are not our workload, but they are our responsibility," Jayce said. Viktor's hand tightened around his wrist, encouraging him. "We don't know what our thief is going to do—"
"So, we don't need to do what you're suggesting!" Hoskel cried. Jayce tried desperately to hold back a sneer, his jaw clenched tight. “That thief has nothing to do with our trade routes.”
Jayce blinked; he knew Viktor would have a lot to say when they got out of there. He almost couldn’t wait. “And what makes you say that?” he asked.
Councillor Hoskel stammered, glancing around the table for help that didn’t come. “Well—I—"
"It seems," said Mel, eyebrows raised in a way that could silence any room, "That we are at an impasse."
She kept talking, eyes moving slowly to each person in the room, flitting over Viktor to linger on Jayce. He met her gaze and knew deep in his gut that whatever she was about to suggest would not do him any good, would serve only to confuse him. Just like she had before his Progress Day speech.
She was intelligent and beautiful, one of their biggest supporters from the start and someone Jayce had hoped to eventually call a friend. Someone Jayce had the wherewithal to be wary of it for the first time since he met her, and he could not explain why.
"Mister Talis has demonstrated his commitment to our safety, and it seems only he has the knowledge necessary to secure the Hexgates," she said. There was a lump in his throat, muffling him, stopping him from saying that it wasn't just him. It was never just him. "I propose that a new chair be brought forth and that House Talis be elevated to this august body, as a Councillor."
Silence, dreadful silence, like a whine in Jayce's ears. Viktor's hand had fallen from his wrist. In shock? In horror? In awful disapproval?
Or, horrifyingly, excitement?
Around him, the Council argued, but Jayce couldn't say a word. He was not a politician, he was a scientist. He always wanted to be a scientist, nothing more than that. But a Councillor? He could only imagine the things he could do as one, the good things he could bring to the people of Piltover, the ways he could figure out who stole the Gemstone himself. The responsibilities he would have—constant Council meetings and debates and galas and the Man of Progress multiplied exponentially.
He looked at Viktor next to him, thought of the card and the plant his mother had given them. Viktor's lips were parted in shock, his amber eyes wide as they stared up at Jayce. This wasn't what was supposed to happen. He couldn't go back on his apology. His place was always in the lab. With Viktor.
Even his mother had recognised that, like she’d known there was a part of him that was confused, struggling, doubting himself so much that he sabotaged his own speech. It was like she’d known exactly what he needed to hear. Jayce and Viktor. Them, together, from one of the few people that acknowledged his partner—his best friend.
He should have been able to realise it on his own.
"I believe Councillor Medarda is right," Heimerdinger was saying when the wave of sound finally rushed back over Jayce. "Hextech security should be administered by a scientist. I second the motion."
Mel smiled. "Well then, shall we vote?"
"Wait!"
The room silenced, all eyes once again on Jayce. He hadn't even meant to speak but he couldn't just let them... let them make him a Councillor without saying something.
"Jayce?" Viktor whispered, so quietly it was barely audible, like he hadn't wanted anyone to hear him.
"Do I not get a say in this?" Jayce asked. His eyes were locked solely on Mel, brows furrowed in confusion. He didn't understand her, didn't understand what she was aiming for. She knew he was a scientist before anything else, so why this? "I am not a politician. I am a scientist. And while I will admit my own security mistakes, I am not equipped to be an eighth chair on this council. My place is in my lab." With Viktor.
Mel was staring at him, an unreadable look in her eyes. All he could think of was her walking out of his Progress Day speech. All disappointment and disapproval. Like so many other people. Like the man next to him.
"Jayce, think about this," she said.
"I have. Being a Councillor is not something I want. How can I develop Hextech from here?" he asked. It was weird, arguing with her, especially in front of so many people. "I appreciate everything you've done for Viktor and I, but this is not something I want.”
Her eyes were narrowed and for the first time since he’d met her, Jayce was genuinely scared of the power she held over him. It only made her more beautiful, and him more likely to disagree with her.
Councillor Salo scoffed, breaking the thick silence that had fallen over the room. “Well, now that that’s out of the way—”
“There is still the issue of security and the Undercity,” Councillor Shoola said, cutting Salo off with a glare. “What do you propose we do about this?”
A light feeling settled in Jayce’s stomach, something instinctual. A feeling that told him he’d narrowly avoided something terrible. He swallowed, pushed the feeling aside, and addressed the council again.
“You already have a scientist on the Council,” he said, nodding towards a surprised Heimerdinger. “One who has already shown his determination in keeping Hextech safe and secure. Viktor and I would be more than happy to consult with Professor Heimerdinger on security measures. We trust the Hexgates with him.”
And Jayce did, despite Heimerdinger’s calls for them to wait a whole decade to show off their research. He was careful and understood Hextech more than anyone else on the Council. And it would still allow Jayce to spend as much time in the lab as he could. The Man of Progress still had so many responsibilities, but first and foremost was always furthering Hextech and finally bringing it to the people like they’d always promised.
Mel’s face was still unreadable from the other side of the room, her mouth a thin line. “Those in favour?” she said. Her voice was flat and disapproving, but she still held up her hand.
The vote was, thankfully, unanimous. Even Heimerdinger put up his hand, though he was the last one, checking with both Jayce and Viktor before he did. Nothing more than a look, but Jayce nodded at him again.
“That settles it,” Councillor Salo said, leaning back in his seat and shooting Jayce and Viktor a look of contempt. “Is there anything else that needs to be brought up regarding Hextech and the Progress Day attack, Sheriff?”
Jayce had almost forgotten Sheriff Marcus was there. He stood off to the side, watching the procession with well-hidden interest. “Nothing else,” he said. “We’ll post enforcers outside the Hextech labs. I’ll meet with Professor Heimerdinger after this to discuss the Hexgates.”
“Do whatever you can to find that Gemstone,” Jayce told him. Marcus nodded, a disapproving twitch to his lips, as if he didn’t like the idea of being told what to do.
Mel waved her hand. “You may go. Hopefully when we see you again, we’ll hear some developments.”
As Viktor stood and they headed for the Council chambers’ tall doors, Jayce couldn’t help but look over his shoulder at her. She watched him carefully, and despite the joy he felt deep down at being able to continue his work with Viktor, he couldn’t help but feel like this wouldn’t be the last time she brought up the idea of being a Councillor to him.
He could only hope it was after they got the Gemstone back.