Multifandom Oneshots

arcane ~ we failed to do good ~ jayce/viktor

A/N : Basically just an extended version of the one scene from episode 9. Tw for suicidal ideation. Also this briefly touches on Jayce/Mel. Asexual!Viktor because I said so

When Jayce walked in, he saw Viktor standing on the edge of the platform, ready to take that final step and fall to his demise.

For anyone else, this might have been a horrifying sight that elicited a huge reaction. A shout of "DON'T JUMP!" or panicked crying. The primal fear that goes through one's body when they see a loved one about to take their own life. But, while it was definitely unnerving for the Councilor, he didn't have such an extreme reaction. After all, Viktor walked in on him doing practically the exact same thing only some years ago. So, instead, he settled on a small "Am I interrupting?"

Viktor stopped himself from taking that last step as he heard the voice. He turned back to see Jayce- His partner standing there with a small, empathetic smile. Jayce set down his hammer against the wall. Viktor wanted to ask where he had been or why he had that weapon with him, but he decided not to. He hastily shoved Sky's book under his arm to avoid any questioning about it. He had already been panicked enough over her demise... He didn't want to be interrogated at the moment.

"Remember the Distinguished Innovators competition?" Jayce asked quietly as he sat down next to the scientist. "I remember you notching gears in the carriage over" Viktor replied with a small smile as he reminisced on the occasion. They were so carefree back then. No capitalist bullshit. No Council meetings. Just the two of them, working on their inventions together... What happened?

"They started cranking the engine and the whole thing was rattling" Jayce replied with a nostalgic expression. "I thought a loose cog was gonna take someone's eye out" The pair shared a small laugh at that. "At least you didn't throw up" Viktor replied, remembering how nauseous he had been as they rode the carriage around. Jayce chuckled before his eyes went dark and he looked out on the horizon. "Everything made sense then"

"You have to destroy it" Viktor said after a quiet moment. Jayce sadly looked at his hammer and then sighed. "I know" he said, feeling ashamed in himself for what had happened back at Silco's Shimmer factory. But, that wasn't what Viktor was talking about, and he realized as soon as the scientist clarified with a small "The Hexcore"

"I..." Viktor sighed. "I can't do it" he admitted. He had wanted to destroy it as soon as he saw what it had done to Sky, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it. Besides, he was sure there must have been a safer way to dispose of it than just throwing a stool at it. "You have to" he begged the Councilor. "Please"

"What about your disease?" Jayce countered after a moment. He understood the dangers of the device, but he also didn't know if he could live with himself if Viktor died. "Without the Hexcore-" he tried to explain, but was cut off by a few sharp coughs from the ill man standing in front of him.

"Promise me" Viktor begged quietly, a dull desperation in his eyes as he looked down on his partner. It took Jayce a moment to fully process what he was agreeing to, but he eventually closed his eyes and gave a solemn nod. "Okay..." he agreed before standing up. "Okay. I promise" he set a hand on Viktor's shoulder.

"We lost ourselves" Viktor said darkly after a moment, shaking his head. "Lost our dream" he elaborated. "In the pursuit of great, we failed to do good"

"How did we get this far from... Everything?" Jayce asked after a moment. Hextech had begun as the dream of two young men who just wanted to make the world better for people. How did it get so far from their original dream? How did it get to the point where one was making weaponry to fuel a war and the other was going mad trying to work on their next chapter? How?

"Corruption" Viktor replied quietly. "We became corrupted. Now we need to fix it..." he took a deep breath. "We've already lost a life because of it" he admitted. Jayce gave him a confused look. "You mean the..." he swallowed sharply. "The kid from the Shimmer factory?" he asked. Viktor shook his head. "Sky" he pulled out the late girl's journal. Jayce seemed terrified, but the disabled man pressed on.

"I was messing with the Hexcore and something went wrong" he explained. "It was like it was pulling me to it. I think I may have an organic link with it now... But that's besides the point" he waved his hand dismissively. "Anyways, she came in to ask me something and when she saw me caught on the thing, she freaked out and tried to pull me away from it" His hands shook slightly as he recalled the incident. Jayce gently held onto his free hand with his own. "She was screaming my name and then..." He took a shallow breath. "It tore her apart, Jayce"

Silence followed that, only broken by the occasional sharp breath as the scientist regained his composure. "We need to destroy it" Jayce eventually said with finality. Viktor nodded with a small chuckle, because Jayce acted as if he hadn't already promised to do just that. "We need to do it safely" Viktor insisted. Jayce nodded in agreement. "I can ask Mel or someone"

"What's going on with you and Mel?" Viktor suddenly asked, looking his partner in the eyes. Jayce avoided his gaze. "I mean, you know I've slept with her a few times" he deflected. Viktor nodded. They had already had that discussion, and Viktor had told him he was fine with it since he had no interest in sexual intercourse anyways. But... It seemed like there was more to it than just the physical stuff.

"You two just seem really close is all" Viktor commented. Jayce didn't reply, instead just giving a firm tap on his boyfriend's shoulder before walking away. "I'll destroy it" he said firmly before leaving the room and Viktor behind. The scientist sighed as he looked back down on the water below, able to faintly see the ashes he had dropped down there.

"I'm sorry, Sky" he said to the water. "I'll do better. I promise"