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Chapter Text

Luck was a concept that confused Viktor immensely. He was unlucky when his parents died in the mines when he was only seven. He was lucky when someone found him, alone and dirty in an alleyway searching for food, and took him in to give him shelter. He was unlucky when that person made money from selling pretty things to one of the most notorious brothels in the Undercity. He was lucky when he saved up enough money to take the Academy entrance exam. He was lucky to get in. He was lucky to catch Heimerdinger’s attention. He was lucky to find Jayce before he jumped. And now, he was unlucky to be stuck at his gala, bored out of his mind and surrounded by spoiled, spineless elites.

He was both the most unluckiest and luckiest person he’d ever met. Sure, most of his luckiest moments derived from hard work and dedication, but that didn’t stop the Pilties at the gala from saying the most demeaning phrase Viktor had ever heard in his entire life:

“You’re so lucky! I’ve never met a trencher who’s successful like you!” 

Viktor stared at the wealthy woman with disguised hatred. He smiled and nodded, as expected. “Thank you,” he replied kindly, as expected. He then turned to his partner, Jayce, and let the man change the topic to hextech and donations, as expected. At these parties, Viktor only got by when he did what was expected of him. If he were too honest with these individuals, Jayce and he would never get extra funding.

A few minutes later, after securing a deal, the woman strolled away, leaving the two scientists alone. Jayce immediately turned to Viktor with a concerned frown adorning his face. “I’m so sorry,” Jayce apologized earnestly. “She was horrible. How did she think that was a compliment? That word is practically a slur…”

Viktor would be lying if he said he always knew Jayce was one of the good ones in this city of classists; he was skeptical for the entirety of their first year working together. However, after attending enough of these tortuous galas together, Viktor came to an understanding that Jayce had a good heart; Jayce was just a little naive at times due to his upbringing.

“She thinks it’s a compliment because she doesn’t believe we are equal,” Viktor said after taking a sip from his champagne glass. “So, me even being at an event she’s at is seen as a miracle in her eyes.”

“Like these events are anything to write home about,” Jayce said with a scoff. “I always knew the people in the Kirammans’ circle were snooty, but holy shit.”

“If you think too much about it, you’ll take that anger out on our next potential donor,” Viktor said, softly patting Jayce on the back. Viktor had never been a touchy person. Whether this was because of his personality or his trauma relating to the brothel, Viktor had no idea. However, with Jayce, it was different. They were mutually touchy with each other, so much so that there were rumors that the two were sleeping together. Neither of them minded the rumors all that much. In fact, they joked about them pretty often and even played into the rumors at times by flirting openly in the Academy cafeteria for all to see. Whether or not this actually meant something deeper wasn’t something Viktor was interested in looking into. He didn’t even know how he’d navigate a serious emotional relationship after his personal history with things of that nature. “While I hate them too, we need their money,” Viktor continued, his hand still on Jayce’s back. “Our revenge can be taking their money.”

Jayce smiled softly at Viktor. “You’re so strong,” he said, sounding reverent. Viktor felt his chest heat up at the words; being strong was much preferable to being lucky. “And petty. I need to get on your level of pettiness.”

Viktor shoved Jayce away playfully, a fond smile adorning his face. “You’re too much of a puppy dog to be as petty as me.”

“Are you the feisty kitten to my puppy dog?”

Viktor raised a brow. “Am I feisty?”

Jayce raised a brow back. “Are you seriously asking that question?” Jayce asked incredulously. “You’re so mean to me.”

“You like it.”

Jayce let out a laugh and shrugged. “I’m kind of into it, yeah.”

Before Viktor could respond with a quip about Jayce’s obvious degradation kink, their conversation was cut short by the entrance of the one and only Mel Medarda.

“Please save this conversation for the bedroom, boys,” Mel drawled, her heels clacking on the tiled marble floor as she strutted towards them. Once she reached her destination standing in front of the two scientists, she continued. “I have some individuals to introduce to you two. After that, you can go make-out in a supply closet or whatever it is that you guys do when you mysteriously vanish from these events.”

Both men’s cheeks flushed red at Mel’s comment. A few months ago, the two scientists drank a bit too much champagne and got a bit too touchy-feely in a supply closet. Mel caught them, of course; just Viktor’s luck to be caught with his hand down Jayce’s pants by a fucking councillor. Mel didn’t seem to mind, though. She seemed a little too pleased by what she saw, and now, she always made jokes about it. The two scientists never spoke about that incident, either. They just pretended like it never happened until, of course, Mel decided to bring it up again.

“Look,” Mel said, ignoring the flustered expressions on their faces. She looked behind the two scientists and gestured at a person behind them. “There’s one of them now. Mr. Campbell, I have the inventors of Hextech here and ready to mingle.”

Mr. Campbell's steps were loud and heavy as he strolled past the scientists and towards Mel. He gave the woman a greeting kiss on the cheek and turned towards the men with a tame smile. He was tall. Taller than even Jayce. He had brown hair and a thick brown beard sprinkled with strands of grey that contrasted greatly with his green eyes. He looked familiar. Viktor must’ve seen him at a past function in passing.

“How do you do? I’m Richard Campbell.” the man greeted, his eyes currently on Jayce. “I’ve heard a lot about you, Mr. Talis. I’m well acquainted with Cassandra and Tobias, but I’ve never had the chance to actually meet you.”

“I’m doing well,” Jayce said with a polite smile. “I think I’ve heard Mrs. Kiramman mention you before. You do business in the Undercity, yes?”

This caught Viktor’s attention. Pilties doing business in the Undercity never bodes well for them. They would most likely be ranting about this man’s horrific personality in a few hours while they debriefed Jayce’s apartment.

“Yes, I own a few successful establishments,” the man vaguely explained. ‘Establishments’ was a word one used when said establishment was seen as taboo or unsightly in Piltover. He most likely had investments in a few less-than-legal businesses in the Undercity. Viktor already didn’t like him. “I heard you and your assistant are doing amazing work.”

And now, Jayce didn’t like him either. Viktor didn’t have to look at Jayce’s face to know he was struggling to maintain his friendly smile. A single glance at Mel told him that she noticed it too, if her hazel eyes widening and her perfect smile tightening just a bit said anything.

“Viktor is my scientific partner,” Jayce explained, his voice giving none of his internal frustrations away. “We currently don’t have an assistant! Our last one got a huge research opportunity in Shurima so, she had to leave, unfortunately.”

Richard nodded and turned his attentions towards Viktor. Then, something odd happened. The man’s eyes widened as though he was surprised to see Viktor there, and then narrowed, like he was analyzing him. Viktor resisted the urge to shift uncomfortably under the man’s gaze. 

“Hello,” Viktor greeted politely. “I’m Viktor. I’m Jayce’s research partner.”

“And the co-founder of Hextech,” Jayce interjected.

“You look familiar,” Richard said, his eyes still squinted as he eyed Viktor. “Have we met?”

“You look familiar as well,” Viktor said with a shrug. “Maybe we’ve met at a past gala?”

“Are you from the Undercity?” Richard asked, ignoring Viktor’s response entirely.

Oh great. It was going to be one of those conversations. “Yes, I am,” Viktor said calmly. He could already feel Jayce’s shoulders stiffening up next to him in anticipation for the rich man to say some insolent statement about Zaunites. “I lived there until I got into the Academy.”

Richard hummed and absentmindedly stroked his beard as he continued to stare at Viktor, now looking him up and down. Was he checking him out? “Where in the Undercity are you from?”

“I grew up on the borders of the Entresol level.”

The rich man smirked. “So, you grew up in the Sumps?”

Viktor felt everyone’s eyes on him as he struggled to respond. This was worse than the normal conversation he had with rich Pilties about the Undercity. This was an interrogation. Viktor hadn’t even revealed this much information about his past to Jayce or Mel yet. “In a way, yes,” Viktor hesitantly answered, not in the mood to give a Zaun geography lesson to an elitist asshole. “My parents worked in the mines,” Viktor then said, hoping that explanation was enough. “So, we lived near them.”

“And after they passed? Where did you live?”

Jayce slowly turned towards Viktor, a panicked look reflecting off of his eyes. Viktor ignored his partner and continued to watch the rich man in confusion. How the man knew Viktor was an orphan, he couldn’t be sure. It was probably a good guess. Most Zaunites were either orphans or were living with non-blood relatives. That’s why none of them had surnames. Blood meant less down there. “The Sumps,” Viktor answered, the brothel immediately coming to his mind. He shut that thought down quickly. “I found shelter there.”

“Shelter,” Richard said with a derisive laugh. “That’s a nice word for where you ended up.”

Instantly, a blaring alarm went off in Viktor’s brain. Viktor felt the familiar sensation of dread wash over him as he watched the man’s slimy smirk grow. It seemed as though Richard had the same realization that Viktor did. They had met before, but not at a previous gala like Viktor initially surmised, but rather at the brothel.

Viktor felt sick.

“How’d you get into the Academy?” Richard asked, his back straightening as he continued the interrogation. The confident air around the man had grown tenfold in the last minute. Viktor hated it.

“I took the entrance exam,” Viktor answered, hating how shaky his voice sounded. He could feel the concerned looks from Mel and Jayce. The other two knew something wasn’t right about the conversation, but they lacked awareness of the second conversation taking place under their noses.

“Lucky boy,” the man said mockingly. “How did you afford it? For someone like you, I’m sure it was a fortune.”

“I saved up money for a few years.”

“How’d you make that money.”

The two stared at each other in silence. Jayce and Mel shared a look of pure dread as the silence continued.

Richard let out a mean laugh. “Does the Academy not do background checks? How did they let someone like you in?”

Embarrassingly enough, Viktor felt his eyes begin to water. This had to be his worst nightmare coming to fruition. He was a proud Zaunite and always would be, but he wasn’t proud of what he had to do to survive the place. And to have it discussed openly in front of Jayce and Mel… Viktor just wanted to go home and cry. 

Viktor took a small step back, hiding part of his body behind Jayce. Jayce noticed immediately and took a protective step forward to cover up more of Viktor’s body with his own.

“Viktor got in because he’s a genius,” Jayce interjected, the polite smile long gone. He was practically glaring at the other man.

“A genius whore,” Richard said jeeringly. “I never thought I’d see the day.”

Viktor felt his entire world stop in place. He could feel the stares on him like they were daggers stabbing into him. He kept his eyes glued to the ground.

“I have some stakes in that brothel you took shelter in,” Richard explained casually, like he didn’t just destroy Viktor’s entire life in Piltover just moments earlier. “I wouldn’t have the luxurious life I have today if it weren’t for that debauched place you call a home. So, I must thank you for your hard work.”

“Mr. Campbell, that’s quite enough,” Mel said, her voice stern as her face reflected nothing but pure rage. “You are not permitted to speak to Viktor this way. That’s an order.”

Richard gave Mel an unimpressed look. “Do you even know Viktor?”

“Better than you do, I’m sure.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” Richard said, his voice light as he took a large step towards Viktor. Viktor physically flinched back as Richard leaned in close and said, “Me and Viktor know each other pretty well. Isn’t that right, Viktor?”

“Back off,” Jayce demanded, shoving the man away from Viktor. Viktor distantly heard shocked gasps from afar. He couldn’t be too sure, though. His mind was drifting off.

“Viktor has done more for this city than you could even imagine,” Mel said. “You are out of line. Please save yourself some dignity and walk away.”

“Don’t speak to me about dignity,” Richard said, his voice sounding rough. “I suggest you do some research about the trencher you rub elbows with before you lecture me about dignity.”

With that, Richard Campbell walked away. Viktor watched as his black leather dress shoes stomped further and further away. And then, he was left alone with Jayce and Mel. He could feel their eyes on him. He continued to stare at the ground.

“I’m so sorry,” Mel immediately said, stepping closer to him. Viktor slowly looked up to see the normally polished woman look completely wrecked. Her lips were turned downwards in a grimace as guilt practically oozed off of her. “I’m so sorry I put you through that. I won’t let him come near you ever again, I promise.”

Viktor didn’t know how to respond. He was sure that if he opened his mouth to speak, he’d cry. And so, Viktor responded with a nod.

“It wasn’t your fault, Mel,” Jayce said with a shake of his head. “How were you supposed to know he’d be like that?”

“I still brought him over, didn’t I?” Mel said, her voice shaky. She turned back to Viktor. “Are you okay?”

Viktor gave a weak shrug.

Jayce frowned at the sight. “Viktor?” Viktor couldn’t respond even if he wanted to. It was like his tongue wasn’t working. “Viktor, are you okay?” Jayce asked softly as he placed a comforting hand on Viktor’s shoulder. Viktor looked up at Jayce and saw no judgment gracing his features, only immense concern. The comfort of knowing his two closest confidants in Piltover didn’t hate him for what Richard Campbell revealed hit Viktor harder than he was expecting.

Before Viktor knew it, the dam inside him broke.

Jayce was aghast as he watched the normally confident scientist break down in tears before his very eyes. Mel was dumbfounded as well, as she too stared in shock as Viktor began to sob. 

“Jayce,” Mel said, her voice sounding watery. “Take Viktor home. I’ll handle the rest of the gala,” her voice then darkened. “and Mr. Campbell.”

Jayce watched as a now determined Mel turned around and walked away purposefully, as though she were on a mission. Jayce turned back to the shaking man next to him and felt his own eyes water at the sight. “Come on, Viktor,” Jayce said as he ignored the whispers from the curious elites surrounding them and gently grabbed Viktor’s cane before looping their arms together. “Let’s get out of here.”

Viktor cried for the entire walk back to Jayce’s apartment. Jayce was at a loss of what to do or say to his partner of now two years. He’d never seen the man this distraught before. Hell, Jayce didn’t even think he’d seen Viktor cry before.

Once they arrived at Jayce’s apartment, Jayce sat Viktor down on the couch before running to the kitchen and grabbing a bottle of water, Viktor’s favorite chocolate candies, and a box of tissues. When Jayce got back to Viktor, he was horrified to find the man hyperventilating.

“Shit,” Jayce muttered before dropping the items haphazardly on his coffee table and kneeling down in front of Viktor. He gently cupped Viktor’s face with his hands. “Viktor? Breathe for me, okay? You need to breathe. You’re going to make yourself pass out.” Jayce winced as he listened to Viktor struggle to breathe in, his breath shaking horribly. He grabbed one of Viktor’s hands and held it to his chest. “Breathe with me, V.” After a few moments of Jayce taking deep breathes in and out, Viktor began to follow. Eventually, the man’s breath calmed down completely and all Jayce heard from him were sniffles. 

“I’m sorry,” Viktor whispered, his eyes glued to his lap. 

Jayce shook his head. “You did nothing wrong.”

“I embarrassed you and Mel in front of that donor.”

“That shithead embarrassed himself.”

“But he wasn’t lying.”

Jayce’s entire being had been flooded with dread since Richard uttered the words ‘genius whore.’ He had a feeling that the insults the man spewed at Viktor came from a place of truth, but to hear it confirmed from Viktor himself was gut-wrenching.

“You don’t need to explain anything,” Jayce said honestly as he reached back to grab the items he dropped on the table. He placed them on Viktor’s lap, causing the other man to look up and into Jayce’s eyes. Jayce felt his heart break as he took in Viktor’s face—wet with fresh tears and red and blotchy from sobbing. He looked devastated.

“Yes, I do,” Viktor said as he absentmindedly fiddled with the water bottle. “Especially since we have this… weird thing going on.”

That weird thing being his and Viktor’s situationship. They had been in this odd in-between stage for months now. Flirting constantly and even making out once, but never putting a label to it. Jayce would be damned if Viktor felt forced to say something he wasn’t comfortable with because of their relationship. “Hey,” Jayce said as he cupped Viktor’s face again. “Don’t think about that right now. Nothing that happened today or in your past will affect our… whatever we have or how I view you. You don’t need to-“

“You can’t say that,” Viktor said with a sob, new tears rolling down his face. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Jayce felt his eyes water at the sight. He wiped away the tears on Viktor’s cheek with the pad of his thumb. “I don’t want you to say something you’re not comfortable with sharing,” Jayce said. “But if you decide to share, just know that I won’t judge you. I promise.”

Viktor stared at Jayce for moment before saying: “Can we change into more comfortable clothes first? This suit is so itchy.”

After the two changed into comfier clothes (Viktor was clad in Jayce’s extra lounge clothes. They were too big for him and practically drowned him with fabric. Jayce had to resist the urge to call Viktor cute. This wasn’t the time for that at all), the two scientists found themselves cuddled close underneath a soft blanket on Jayce’s couch. The two cuddled in silence for a few minutes while Viktor peacefully munched on the chocolate snacks Jayce handed him.

“Jayce?” Viktor suddenly said, breaking the silence. “Did you mean it when you said you wouldn’t judge?”

Jayce tightened his arm around Viktor. “Of course I meant it, V.”

Viktor sniffed before burying his head into Jayce’s shoulder. Jayce’s hand trailed up and began softly combing through Viktor’s brown locks, causing the man to sigh softly.

“I was seven when my parents died,” Viktor started, his voice calm and stable. “There was a huge collapse in the mines. Hundreds of people died, so a lot of kids were left without parents afterwards.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Viktor said with a shrug. “I don’t really remember them all that much.”

“I can relate. I don’t really remember my dad all that much either.”

Viktor let out a soft laugh. “Maybe we really are meant for each other.”

Jayce burst out in surprised laughter, causing the man next to him to press a smile against his shoulder. Of course Viktor would be cracking flirty jokes during a conversation like this. “You never take anything seriously.”

“Pot calling the kettle black,” Viktor said, giving Jayce a firm poke in the arm. Viktor’s smile faded away as his mind drifted to the next part of his childhood. “I was homeless for a bit.”

Jayce felt his heart break a little. “You didn’t go to an orphanage?”

“Where I lived, the orphanages weren’t that much better,” Viktor said with a shrug. “I lived in one of the poorest areas of the Undercity. They didn’t have proper systems in place to help that many orphans all at once.”

“Were you alone?”

“Yeah,” Viktor said as he felt Jayce’s hand that wasn’t in his hair gently grasp one of his own. “For a few months I was. And then he found me.”

Jayce stilled. “He? Who’s he?”

“I never learned his name,” Viktor admitted. “But he found me while I was searching for food in a dumpster.”

“Did you find any?”

Viktor immediately lifted his head off of Jayce’s shoulder and gave the man an incredulous look. “Seriously?”

“It’s a genuine question!”

Viktor rolled his eyes fondly and snuggled his head back onto Jayce’s shoulder. “One time I found a half-eaten croissant.”

“Was it good?”

“Eh, it was alright.”

The two sat peacefully as a lull washed over them. Jayce continued stroking Viktor’s hair with one hand and thumbing the palm of Viktor’s hand with the other. Eventually, Viktor broke the silence with: “Orphans aren’t uncommon in the Undercity. What happened to me was uncommon, though.”

“Becoming homeless?”

“No, that’s the most common situation for orphans,” Viktor said. “Either they’re homeless or they’re lucky and someone finds them and informally adopts them.” Viktor mind drifted away as he thought about the day the man found him. He was so relieved. He thought he found a new family. He was so wrong. “I thought I was lucky when he found me. I wasn’t, though.”

“Did he hurt you?”

“In a way, yes. He’s the one who sold me to the brothel that donor has investments in.”

Viktor felt Jayce’s entire body stiffen up. Viktor swallowed nervously.

“How old were you again?”

“Seven.”

Jayce let out a quivering breath. “Seven.”

“Yeah.”

“Did they… did they make you-“

“Yeah.”

“When you were seven?”

Viktor nodded against the man’s now shaking shoulder. “If it makes you feel better, I didn’t do it super often when I was that age. Maybe twice a week? But this brothel is one of the only one’s in the Undercity with kids, so all of the people who were into that kind of stuff would go there specifically…”

“They were probably wealthy.”

“Yeah.”

“From Piltover?”

“Yeah.”

Jayce let go of Viktor’s hand and brought it to his face. Viktor looked up only to see tears streaming down Jayce’s face. Viktor reached up and wiped some away. “Why are you crying?”

“That’s horrible,” Jayce said with a sob. “I’m so sorry that happened to you.”

Viktor didn’t know what to say, so he leaned his head back down to Jayce’s shoulders and snuggled close. “A lot of my childhood friends still work there,” Viktor said as he thought back to his childhood. He used to visit a lot more, but every visit felt painful. So, selfishly, in the last two years he stopped visiting the brothel altogether. Viktor still felt guilty about it. “Some are dead. They overdosed or killed themselves. Quite common for kids who grow up in that profession.”

“Did any of them get out like you did?”

“No,” Viktor said, his eyes feeling heavy again as tears threatened to spill. “Just me. They all said I was lucky.”

“Nothing about your situation screams lucky to me.”

Viktor’s vision became blurry as tears spilled from his eyes. Jayce looked down and quickly moved to pull Viktor into a hug. Viktor tightly grabbed at Jayce’s back, allowing himself to sob freely into the man’s chest.

“That asshole Campbell is a freak,” Jayce said as he rubbed at Viktor’s back soothingly. “You did nothing wrong. There’s nothing wrong with you or the kids you grew up with who are still there. Those people who did those things to you are monsters.”

Viktor cried even harder. “I just wanted to leave so bad!”

“I know, V. I know.”

“I had no way out.”

“I know.”

“Please believe me!”

“I do,” Jayce said, tightening his hold on Viktor. “You’re a survivor, Viktor.”

A survivor. That was a word Viktor never associated with himself before. Viktor pulled away from Jayce with a sniffle and looked up at him. Like Viktor, he too had tears running down his face. Viktor reached up to wipe some of them away, causing Jayce to do the same to him. “A survivor?” Viktor asked tentatively. 

“You survived,” Jayce said earnestly, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. “You went through something horrible and here you are, V. You’re still here and you’re still living. That’s not luck, that’s perseverance.”

Viktor bit at his bottom lip as he considered Jayce’s words. “I… I wanted out so bad. All of us did, really.”

Jayce watched as Viktor settled back under the fuzzy blanket and took a sip of water from the water bottle. He then followed suit, curling up next to Viktor underneath the blanket as the man continued telling his story.

“But I was definitely the most delusional,” Viktor said, sounding sheepish as he did. “I was fully convinced that I’d go to the Academy. They all said I was crazy.”

“You told that jackass that you saved money for the exam,” Jayce said, burying his hand back into Viktor’s hair. 

“Yeah, I did. When I was fourteen, I started to uh try really hard,” Viktor said sheepishly, his face flushing red. “I didn’t just need money for the exam itself, you know. I needed money for clothes that’d present well to topsiders and money for my visitor documents and you know, books. I had no schooling experience in between when my parents died and when I went to the Academy, you know.”

“That’s insane,” Jayce said, his voice breathy. “You taught yourself everything?”

“Basically, yes,” Viktor fiddled with the cap of the bottle. “I met Mr. Campbell around this time. I remember.”

Jayce’s tone darkened. “He definitely knew you were just a kid.”

“Yeah, I was around fourteen or fifteen,” Viktor said as he stared at the water bottle in his lap. “I think he was so judgmental today because when he bought me-“ Jayce physically flinched at the wording. “-I was really into it. Very into it. I was a proper whore-“

“Don’t call yourself that!” Jayce interjected, turning his head fully to face Viktor. 

“That’s what I was, Jayce.”

The two stared at each other in silence. Viktor sighed. “I needed the money really bad. The Academy was my dream and I knew I had to suck it up and go along with it all to get the money I needed. The better you are at being a whore, the more money the pimps let you keep. Kind of like a tip at a restaurant. I was pretty sought after when I was a teenager.”

Jayce took a deep breath. “Did Richard Campbell go a lot?”

“I can recognize his face. So, I’d say yes.”

“How often-“

“In general with clients? A few times everyday.”

Jayce pulled his hands away from Viktor entirely and covered his face with them. Viktor instantly felt shame burst inside of him.

“I understand if you’re disgusted by me,” Viktor said, his voice wobbling as he spoke. “And if you want to stop our relationship or whatever it is because of this, I get it.”

“I’m not disgusted by you. I don’t think I ever could be,” Jayce said as he tore his hands away from his face and looked at Viktor; his eyes were red and wet with new tears. “I’m just angry at the situation you were forced in, V. Not you. Never you.”

Viktor sniffled. “What are we, Jayce?”

“I don’t want to force a discussion about us right now,” Jayce said, roughly wiping away the tears on his own face, tugging at his skin as he did. “But I need you to know that I want anything you’re willing to give me. I’ve felt that way since the day I met you, V. Nothing you went through changes that stance for me.”

Viktor stared at Jayce, stunned at his confession. “I… I don’t think I’m easy to be with,” Viktor admitted, feeling more tears escape his eyes. “I’m kind of fucked up.”

“I like you when you’re not fucked up and I like you when you’re fucked up,” Jayce said with a loud sniff. “I always like you.”

“I’ve never been with someone like…” Viktor trailed off as he tried to find the right word to say. “Emotionally. It’s always been… you know. Just sex.”

“I’m willing to try the emotional shit if you are.”

Viktor stared at Jayce for a moment before leaning in and giving him a soft kiss on the cheek. He watched fondly as Jayce’s face immediately flushed a bright pink. “I’m willing to try, too.”

The next day, the two decided to take the day off to recuperate after an emotional night. Viktor was deep in slumber after exhausting himself with multiple sob sessions throughout the night after their talk. Jayce was there to comfort him through every single one. 

Although Jayce was running on approximately two hours of sleep, he knew he needed to have a talk with Mel today to let the anger out of his system. And he knew she needed a similar venting session to deal with her frustrations regarding the situation as well.

So, in the morning while Viktor was asleep, Jayce walked over the Council building and knocked on Mel’s office door.

When Mel opened the door, Jayce instantly knew that she too was running on two hours of sleep as well. Her eyes were dark and sunken, and her normally perfect hair was haphazardly tied together.

“Rough night?” Jayce asked with a weak smile.

“Something like that,” Mel said as she let him in. She shut the door behind him before sitting in her chair with a huff. “We are both in the same boat there.”

Jayce sat down in a chair across from Mel. “How did the gala go?” 

Mel shook her head in disbelief. “Fuck the gala,” Jayce’s eyebrows raised in shock as the profanity. She almost never used them. “How’s Viktor?”

Jayce sighed. “Not good. He’s better than he was when he left the gala, though. But he told me everything.”

“Don’t tell me anything extra without his permission,” Mel said, raising a hand up in the air. “But please answer these questions so I know what to do as a councilor… did Richard Campbell hurt Viktor before in the past?”

“Yes. Viktor was fourteen.”

Mel shut her eyes instantly and brought her hands to her face. “I’m so sorry.”

“I am too.”

When she removed the hands from her face, Jayce saw that her eyes were full of unshed tears. “The brothel? Was that true?”

Jayce felt his own eyes water. “Yeah,” Jayce said in a hushed tone. “He didn’t have a choice. He was just a kid.”

The tears fell from Mel’s eyes at this revelation. “How can I call myself a leader or even a friend when one of my closest friends suffered so much, and yet, we continue to ignore the struggles his people face?”

Jayce didn’t know what to say, so he said nothing. He too was complicit; that he knew for sure.

“We have to do something.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know,” Mel said, sounding uncharacteristically lost. “Save the orphans? Tear down every brothel? I don’t even know where to start.”

“The people in those brothels aren’t criminals,” Jayce said, thinking about Viktor’s childhood friends. “They need to survive somehow. Plus, a lot of them were trafficked like…” Jayce trailed off, his voice wobbling as it did.

“Like Viktor,” Mel finished, her voice shaking as well. “I’ve never seen him cry like that before.”

Jayce felt tears spill from his eyes as he thought back to Viktor’s breakdown at the gala. “He cried the entire night, Mel.”

Mel’s lips wobbled as more tears escaped her eyes. “I should’ve shut down the conversation earlier,” Mel said, her voice drenched with regret. “Viktor was looking uncomfortable way before Richard revealed anything about… you know what. I should’ve-“

“Don’t blame yourself,” Jayce firmly said. “Viktor needs us to be strong right now. If we blame ourselves, we won’t be able to be there for him.”

Mel nodded before gently wiping the tears from her eyes. “I’m going to help the Undercity. I don’t know what reforms I’m going to make just yet, but I’m going to help,” Mel said, her tone saturated with determination. “I’m going to start by taking down any and all Piltovan business moguls who invest in businesses that harm the people of the Undercity,” Mel’s gaze darkened. “Starting first with Richard Campbell.”

Jayce cracked his knuckles menacingly. “Count me in.”