Chapter Text
[Y/n] marched through the Piltover Academy’s halls as hastily as she could, hindering her anxiety from sending her into a full-on sprint. She hugged some books and rolled up parchment papers with her right arm as she made her way towards her destination - the Council Room.
It was already late in the night, the halls illuminated solemnly by the pale glow of the moonlight. [Y/n] could hear each one of her steps echoing, reverberating through the walls as she dashed forward.
She desperately needed to find Jayce.
The Talis family heir used to have a very strict sleeping schedule. A few months back it would be impossible to find him anywhere but fast asleep in his dorm at this hour, whatever discussion she or Viktor needed to have with him would have to wait until the sun was up.
Everything changed after the bomb.
Inches away from the Council Room door, [Y/n] tripped, falling to the floor with a high-pitched yelp. All material she was holding flew from her grasp, scattering all around in front of her, echoing as they hit the stone cold floor. She cursed loudly, banging her right fist into the floor in frustration. As she tried to lift her torso up from the ground, the Council Room door flew open, revealing a very battle-ready Jayce, his new HexTech powered hammer in hands, ready to fire.
In a clear fight stance, he scanned the area before finally noticing [Y/n]’s figure on the floor. Softening his brows, Jayce quickly turned off his weapon, setting it aside before kneeling down next to the girl.
"[Y/n], are you alright? What happened?"
She sighed. "Nothing, Jayce. I just tripped… I guess I'm still getting used to balancing out my body."
Jayce frowned, worried. He glanced at the blood-soaked bundle of bandages around her left arm - or at least what was left of it.
"How 's your arm?" He asked, helping her up. She exhaled, bringing her hand to caress her injury.
"Oh you mean my stub?" She muttered sarcastically, before wincing - her fall must have opened up some stitches below the bandages. "It 's all right. Not as painful as it once was… it's been healing up nicely."
"If I recall correctly, the doctor advised you not to exert yourself." Jayce said, bending over the floor to pick up her belongings.
She bit the inside of her cheek, feeling a bit guilty - having to rely on other people for simple tasks such as picking stuff from the ground still didn't sit well with her. But it was a reality she'd have to get used to now that her left arm was gone - one of the many gruesome outcomes from the terrorist bombing on the Council some weeks ago.
"I wasn't exerting myself, I spent the day at the Library today." She snapped back.
"And where were you going in such a hurry?" Jayce asked, holding her books and parchments out for her.
"I was actually looking for you." She answered, hugging her stuff against her torso again. "Is the Council meeting over? I really need to have a word with you."
Jayce sighed, glancing back at the Council Room behind him.
"We were not done yet… " He answered, scratching the back of his neck. "You know how hectic things are… it's also been tougher to reach conclusions now that we have a… smaller number of councilmen."
[Y/n] sighed in understanding, glancing down at the books in her arm. But she had no time to spare.
"Please, Jayce. It's gonna be quick." She pleaded, looking up at him. Jayce was taken aback by the desperation in her voice. He pondered a bit before speaking.
"There's an empty spare room down the corridor." He said, guiding her with a hand on her lower back. "Let's get some privacy at least."
She nodded in response. As soon as they entered the room, the girl laid everything she was carrying on top of a table, opening up one of the books right where she left a piece of paper as a bookmark. Jayce closed the door behind him, getting closer to [Y/n]. Despite the clear fatigue in his eyes, he seemed genuinely interested.
"You know I've been closely assisting Viktor with the HexCore as of late." She began, placing her hand on top of the open book. "We had been testing and cataloging every variety of possible combination of runes to no avail. The only substantial progress we achieved was figuring the HexCore responded to organic matter."
[Y/n] searched Jayce's face for any objections, but the man just nodded. This all happened around the time before the bombing - when he still could spare some time to work as a scientist, he was present for most of that.
[Y/n] carried on. "The discovery of the organic-based reaction of the Core made it undoubtedly clear we've been working with HexTech completely in the dark - anything could go at this point. So while I left Viktor to tinker in the lab, I decided to take the research route, trying to find some clue on where to go next." She removed the hand from the open book, pushing it a little closer to Jayce for better visualization.
"So that's why you were in the Library." Jayce uttered, leaning closer to the book.
"Exactly." She replied. "After some days, my research invariably led me to the History of magic in Runeterra. But all the descriptions regarding magic and the Rune Wars were far too vague. I tried reaching Professor Heimerdinger since he experienced these events, but I couldn't find him anywhere in the Academy."
"I heard he left the Academy once he got… voted out of the Council." Jayce uttered, briefly shutting his eyes - despite all that happened, he couldn’t help but feel guilty for his mentor's removal.
"I'm not sure he would be of much assistance, since he was very anti-magic from the very beginning." [Y/n] said with a sigh. "But the very act of trying to reach Professor Heimerdinger opened my eyes to a very simple solution - asking for assistance."
Jayce raised an eyebrow at her. "Where are you going with this… ?"
"Obviously we've been looking at HexTech from a scientific perspective - it's very core being harnessing magic through technology and all." She pressed on. "But we're missing a very crucial point - while HexTech doesn't exist without magic, magic exists without HexTech."
Jayce narrowed his eyes in confusion. "Yeah, and that was precisely why you decided to research magic in the first place, right?"
"Yes, Jayce. But who's to say the answer lies in the Library? In the University? Heck, even in Piltover?" She exclaimed. "We have all the technology expertise we could ever hope to achieve here, but we lack the input of a master of the Arcane. We are literally dealing with something that existed for millenia without consulting a professional on the field."
Jayce scoffed. "And what do you suggest? That we find a mage to assist us? Don't you think we'd have done that by now if there ever was a mage in Piltover or Zaun?"
"Well, I believe we can find a mage somewhere in Runeterra." She bit back. "It's only logical to assume that if one can find magic-embed crystals around, they can also find mages."
Jayce brought a hand to his mouth, sighing. [Y/n] sensed the objection already forming in the frown on his brow - she decided to press on before he could interject.
"Based on my research, I've been tracing a plan to optimize a possible expedition to find a mage." She rolled out one of the parchment papers - a map of Runeterra marked down with a series of notes in red ink. "I believe it is of utmost importance for the evolution of HexTech that this endeavor is done in earnest and… "
"You want to go mage-hunting as Piltover and Zaun are on the brink of war?"
Jayce's accusatory interjection killed the words coming out of [Y/n]'s mouth. Her reaction further enabled the taller scientist to continue.
"This is what you've been doing while ignoring my calls to participate in the emergency council meetings? Your knowledge on Zaun is detrimental to better secure Piltover from future attacks, people are depending on you and you want to pull a disappearing act?"
"Jayce, this could very well be a solution for the current crisis." [Y/n] spat back. "Imagine the possibilities we could do with HexTech with proper guidance, we could easily turn the tides in this whole scenario and maybe prevent any further conflict from happening."
"Those are just hypotheses. Not to mention the lack of evidence to back up your plan." Jayce huffed, crossing his arms in front of him. "There's no way of knowing how much time you'd need to find a mage, let alone one willing to come to aid us. We have no time to be experimental right now and we need you here."
"Okay, but I still think this endeavor is worth the risk." [Y/n] persisted. "If you need me to stay, I'll stay, but find someone to go in my stead."
"If you hadn't been isolating yourself in the Library for the past few weeks, you'd know we hardly have enough people to handle the crisis at hand, I couldn't possibly send anyone to a quest full of uncertainty when they're needed here."
"So we're gonna play the game with the cards at hand when there's a possibility to find pieces that could completely shift the whole scenario to our advantage?" The girl bit back, frustration starting to overtake her patience threshold. "Honestly, Jayce, you're not seeing the bigger picture here."
Jayce pressed his lips together, exhaling hard before answering.
"And you're not being honest. " He uttered coarsely. "You just want to heal Viktor."
She was briefly taken aback from Jayce's accusatory tone. But anger brought her back to her feet .
"And you don't?" She said coldly. "You really don't see the importance in preventing his death?"
"Don't you dare imply for a second I don't care about Viktor." Jayce barked, menacingly brandishing his index finger at her face. "But I am a Counselor, I cannot afford to prioritize his life over the citizens of Piltover."
"I'm well aware of the trolley dilemma, thank you." She responded sarcastically. "I'm not asking you to come with me, I simply came to you for some input on this. I'm gonna find that mage by myself.*
"And leave Viktor to die alone?"
"I'm aiming to be back before that happens, actually."
Jayce scoffed. "You're being naive… Or purposely obtuse."
"Jayce, why do you think I've been tracing a… "
"You heard what the doctors said." Jayce cut her mid sentence. "You were there with me when Viktor first collapsed and they gave us his prognosis."
[Y/n] didn't respond. Of course she remembered, the doctor's words were practically chiseled inside her head.
But Jayce reminded her anyway.
"His disease is rapidly progressing with no signs of healing. He has about six months to live - one year, if we're lucky."
Despite already knowing, Jayce's words stinged almost as bad as the first time she heard them.
"If you went on this expedition, you'd be challenged not only to find a mage with expertise in healing magic, but also being extremely hasty in doing so." Jayce continued. "Chances are he'd be… dead by the time you were back."
Of course she knew that.
"If I stay… " She whispered, eyes glued to the floor. "It will be a matter of time before his impending demise." She slowly looked up back to Jayce and the man could see clear signs of fatigue in her gaze. "If I go, there's a chance I might find a solution to prevent his early death."
Jayce sighed. He understood the agonizing predicament she was in - the certainty of despair pitched against the allure of hope.
Ever since the bombing of the Council, Jayce had spent ever waking moment with the remaining councilmen to deal with the crisis at hand. [Y/n] was the only one by Viktor's side - closely watching his decay while being unable to do anything about it.
Not to mention the loss of her left arm - another lovely outcome from the bloodshed the bomb provided.
It would be impossible for her not to fall victim of hope's sweet lullaby, clouding her best judgment.
Jayce was getting used to being the bearer of bad news by now.
"If you stay, he'll have someone by his side until the end." Jayce spoke dryly. "If you leave, chances are you won't be able to make it and he'll die alone." He swallowed thickly, trying to sound softer. "Don't you think making sure he has an easier passing is worth staying? Rather than risking him spending his last days all by himself? Doesn't he deserve at least that?"
No, he deserves to live. She thought, but didn't have the strength to say. She was by far too familiar with the dilemma Jayce presented - those thoughts and worries plagued her ever since she first came up with the mage-finding plan, circling around her brain like a carrousel of despair.
There was a twisted comfort in the certainty of his death and the selfless caretaker role she'd have to take until it happened. It wouldn't be easy - seeing Viktor's steady decay up until that point had been agonizing, especially with her inability to prevent it. But at least, she knew what to expect… Not to mention, she could at least provide him as much comfort a partner could.
But could she spend the rest of her life fretting over the fact she could've done something to save him? Even if this path was full of uncertainty? Of course she couldn't…
But neither could she live with the guilt of leaving him to die alone, to not provide him the affection he needed to help cope with his grim fate. To not be his much needed navigator while uncharting the tumultuous waters of death.
To leave him estranged, when he was the one who saved her from solitude in the first place.
She had come to Jayce looking for guidance, in hope he would support her journey if it meant having a sliver of a chance of saving Viktor's life. But he had been understandably absorbed in politics ever since the attack, probably consumed in guilt for having his creation weaponized - she should have assumed he'd lean more into the certainty path.
"I need to get back to the Council Room." Jayce broke their silence. "I'll be with you two as soon as I can, ok?"
With a long and heavy sigh, she simply nodded. It was already late in the night and she hadn’t seen Viktor since morning, when she left him sleeping in their shared dorm room. The doctors advised him to rest as much as he could , in hopes that proper repose could help his body fight off his ailment - a shot in the dark to a lost cause.
As obstinate as he was, Viktor wasn’t going to take any chances. She knew exactly where to find him.
The HexTech Lab.
She sighed heavily upon noticing the dim light leaking from beneath the closed door - an unmistakable sign she was unfortunately right.
At the very least she could comfort herself with the fact she knew her significant other well enough. It had been 5 years after all…
5 years since the Undercity Development Section in the Architecture and Urban Planning Division teamed up with the HexTech Research Division. 5 years since she met the slender chestnut haired man that stormed in her office unannounced one day and completely breached all her barriers, reaching the tender flesh of her heart. 5 years since that same man offered her his heart in return, successfully evolving their relationship from that of work partners to lovers.
The success of their first endeavor - the Ventilation System down in the Lanes- brought about a gargantuar influx of funds from patrons, enabling them to further draft new HexTech-powered urban project proposals for the improvement of life in the Undercity. Soon a Water Treatment Plant System provided clean water to every nook and cranny down in the Lanes. A Public Transport Grid delivered a faster and safer way to traverse the various tortuous alleys in the Undercity. A Drainage and Sewage System completely shifted the Undercitizen’s quality of life for the better, to the point of drastically lowering hospital admission.
What wouldn’t she do for another 5 years with him…
[Y/n] exhaled in relief upon noticing the door was a bit ajar, allowing her to enter without having to use her hands - she still held all the materials with her right arm, rendering her unable to use her only free hand. Shouldering the door open, she soon noticed Viktor sitting across the lab with his back facing the door. A desk lamp - the sole artificial light source in the lab sat beside him, elongating his shadow to a ghastly length. The iv-drip that kept pumping medicine in his bloodstream through his arm periodically was almost empty - a clear sign he had been in the lab for far longer than he should’ve.
“So the owl left the nest, huh.” She broke the silence, calmly walking towards him. He turned around at the sound of her voice.
“Owls are nocturnal creatures, are they not?” Viktor teased. [Y/n] noticed he was still wearing the same clothes she saw him that morning - a tartan robe over his nightwear. In his mind there was no time for trivial things like getting changed, she supposed.
“I’m pretty sure you should’ve been resting, Mr. Owl.” She teased back, placing her belongings on a desk nearby. Viktor scoffed.
“My little Woodpecker, I am not the one missing a wing now, am I?” He jested, but was suddenly stricken with a heavy wave of coughing. [Y/n] rushed to his side, but he lifted his free hand in protest. “If I recall correctly, you were supposed to let your arm heal before frolicking around, no?”
“C’mon, Viktor. I lost my arm, but the wound is healing and I’ll be okay regardless.” She retorted, bringing her hand to cup his face. The bags under his eyes and the hollowness of his cheeks were getting worse everyday, she noticed. “At least don’t stay up until so late, try to get enough sleep.”
“I will be sleeping for a long time soon enough, don’t you worry about that.” He joked drily.
She would have winced at the dark tone in his words had she not been glad that at least his snarky nature was still there, intact.
Despite everything, her Owl held on.
Upon receiving no response, Viktor continued.
"Were you in the Library?"
"No… I mean, I spent the day in the Library, yes, but I was just with Jayce." She answered, her hand leaving his face to rest on her hip. "I wanted to hear his thoughts on the… on my research."
"Oh… " Viktor uttered. "And what were his inputs?"
She exhaled, glancing at the pile of books and rolled up parchments she had left on the desk nearby. "He was very against it."
"Huh…" Viktor muffled, a knowing half-smirk on his face. " I had a feeling he wouldn't agree with it, the whole political ordeal had him choosing to play it safe as of late… "
Closing her eyes, [y/n] just hummed in agreement. She had hoped that Jayce's risk-taking edge from when he first started researching HexTech and the crystals was still somewhere in him, that maybe her proposal could spark back that fire for innovation he once held burning bright… perhaps it would have, had the circumstances been not so dire.
"But eeh… I'm inclined to agree with him."
She abruptly snapped back at Viktor's words.
"What… ?" Was all she could muster.
"I appreciate your eagerness to help me… " Viktor continued, resting one of his hands on the crook of her hip. His tired amber eyes piercing hers. "It was this very fire to selflessly spring into action that first drew me to you, however… " He snaked his other arm around her waist, bringing her body closer to him and resting his forehead on her midsection " The last thing I want right now is seeing you hurt because of me… again."
"Viktor… " She uttered, combing her fingers through his oily and unruly locks. "I'll reassure you as many times as you need it, but it's not your fault that I lost my left arm."
But she knew exactly why he carried that guilt as if it was his own. They were both in the Council Room when the bomb hit - she moved on instinct when she tried to shield Viktor with her body as much as her frame allowed her to. The depth of the cuts, the degree of the burn and the quantity of shrapnel that got lodged into her left arm rendered it impossible to heal, amputation being the only medical solution viable.
"I was already as good as dead… You lost your arm to prolong my life to some months at best."
"I would have given up on a leg too even if it meant having you alive for only another couple of weeks." She answered, her voice starting to strain from the tears already forming in her eyes. She hugged his head, burrowing her face into the chestnut wilderness of his hair. "Viktor, I want you to live so bad… " The tears started streaming down her face, wetting the top of Viktor's head.
"My little Woodpecker… " He muttered. The strain in his voice accentuated his accent.
The moment was broken by another stream of wet coughs erupting from deep within him. Viktor let go of her, turning his head to the side and leading his hand to his mouth to block out the droplets of saliva from spilling on her.
She watched him come undone in his fit, like his illness mocked them both for how little control they had over anything. It dangled his life in front of her just within reach only to pull it away at a moment’s notice, making sure to shove in her face how everything could vanish in a blink of an eye.
Once he managed to calm his lungs down a bit, he turned his amber eyes back to [y/n].
“I understand it is a little selfish of me to strap you down by my side now, rendering you unable to do anything other than watch me wither away…” He said, his voice a little hoarse from the cough. “However, grant me this dying wish… Don’t leave my side.”
[Y/n] took a moment to answer, studying the frown on his face. She took a deep breath before speaking.
“If there’s a time for you to be selfish, it is now.” She brushed a strand of hair behind his ear, a sad smile on her face. Her eyes glistened with the tears she fought to contain.
He took her hand in his and gently brought it near his lips for a kiss.
“In that case, will you allow me one more selfish request?” He said, his eyes piercing hers in a plea.
She swallowed thickly, but nodded.
Viktor smiled, gently digging into his robe’s pocket. He fished out a small simple box, clasping it with both hands in front of the girl. Her eyes widened in realization.
He opened the box revealing a silver ring embedded with a single blue stone.
“Would you do me the honor of becoming my widow?”
She couldn’t help but stifle a laugh. Viktor continued.
“I know… it’s pointless. But I wanted to at least officialize our relationship… To leave this world not as your late partner, but your late husband.”
[Y/n] wrapped her arm around his head, bringing him into a tight hug. She breathed deeply into his scalp before answering.
“You don’t have to worry about leaving an impact when it comes to me… “ She whispered. “I already have far too much of you inside, rest assured I will never be the same… But… “
She leaned back just enough to capture his lips with hers. A chaste kiss that lasted far longer than it should have. They parted ways, eyes locked into each other.
“It would be an honor to become your widow, Viktor.”
Once back to their shared dorm room, [Y/n] carefully changed the empty bag from Viktor’s iv-drip to a new full one, following his doctor’s instructions. The concoction quickly made its way into his veins and relief slowly spread through his body - he was so used to the pain at this point that he only noticed it once the painkillers in the medicine started to take effect.
They sat on the bed and [Y/n] quickly started kneading Viktor’s back, rubbing down the tension he had accumulated throughout the day. It was a habit they developed early on in their relationship - Viktor’s physical condition would often cause him painful strains on his back and, with time, the girl took upon herself the task of easing the soreness for him.
It was tender and intimate, [y/n] hands traveling around his back, cautiously working every kink out of him. At this point it had become a habit - her hands would start off on his neck, then his shoulders, then his upper back, Viktor sighing in relief periodically throughout the process. She’d gently trace her fingers around the constellations of beauty marks on his back, planting a soft kiss on all the more prominent ones, rousing a low moan from him every time her lips touched him.
It wouldn’t take long for their caressing to escalate to a more lascivious degree.
[Y/n]’s hand slowly slithered to this belly, her fingertips lightly stroking his skin along the way. She went a little further down, toying with the hem of his pants, asking for his permission to venture on. She felt him inhaling deeply at the contact, straightening his back, lightly nodding afterwards. She gently slipped her hand under his pants and underwear, reaching his already hardened length, giving it one playful stroke. Viktor moaned.
“I see my Woodpecker has decided to hasten my demise.” Viktor muttered in a shaky breath.
“Not at all, my dear Owl… I’m simply being through with your massage session.” She jested, leaving another kiss on his back. “Won’t you be a good owlette and help me get you out of your garments?”
He silently complied, bringing his pants and underwear down just enough to spring his length free. [Y/n] brought her hand back to her mouth for a quick spit before going back for another languid stroke - the added warm lubrication rousing another moan from Viktor’s lips. She kept pumping his cock slowly, savoring the way his body tensed at her every movement. As soon as he started bucking his hips up in frustration, she picked up the pace.
It wasn’t long before his breathing started to quicken as she felt his dick pulsating, emptying himself on her hand in waves. She kept pumping until she heard his usual groan of overstimulation. She let go, letting him collapse on his back with a heavy sigh.
[Y/n] took a moment to drink in his disheveled form, still panting from his undoing. Despite the clear deterioration of his body, he was still so beautiful… She brought her hand up, turning it around, admiring the aftermath of his climax, soon it’s thick smell invaded her nostrils. With no other hand to help her clean it, she resorted to licking it off.
Viktor groaned at the sight.
“Are you sure you are not trying to kill me sooner?” He muttered. “I’m afraid my body doesn’t have the strength to go another round, but I will have to force it to, if you keep on teasing me like that.”
“Wouldn’t it be a better way to go?” She teased, laying down next to him.
“I suppose you are right… “ He returned. “Woodpecker, I love you so much… “
She smiled.
“I love you too, my Owl.”
He was finally asleep.
It took all of [Y/n] willpower to not doze off while waiting for Viktor to fall asleep, but once he did, she carefully sprung off the bed and started silently packing.
It stung deeply to break the promise she had just made, but waiting idly by for Viktor to die was not something she could live with for the rest of her life. Especially not after his proposal. He would just have to forgive her…
Rotating her new ring with her thumb, she glanced back at Viktor’s sleeping form before closing the door behind her.
“I’ll be back before you know it.” She muttered. And with that, she was gone.