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Viktor was in the lab late once again, having declined Jayce’s invite to the party he was attending. It was becoming an increasingly common occurrence between the two of them, Jayce going off to parties and social events while Viktor stayed in the lab until well after midnight trying to gain a better understanding of the Hexcore.
Viktor is sat at the desk holding the Hexcore, various notes and paperwork spilling out across the available surface, using the natural light the core produces to see as opposed to their glaring overhead lights that give him migraines. He is slumped over in a way that is bad for his back and hip, but Jayce’s writing can be so difficult to read when he is excited. Viktor is rereading his own notes while comparing them to notes Jayce has written regarding the core and writing his own thoughts on BOTH their findings, trying to pinpoint where their interactions and opinions on the core overlap and oppose.
“ Vik-tor .” His name, whispered so faintly he almost missed it. Almost.
Lifting his head from his furious writing he glances around the empty lab. It is just as it was when he set himself up at the desk all those hours ago, void of all life except his own after Jayce left having come back to double check, triple check that Viktor really didn’t want to come to the party, dressed in his signature House Talis colours. The only lights in the whole room being provided from the gaslights out on the street and the Hexcore.
“ Vik-tor .” He snaps his head around to the source, the flashing light of the Hexcore on each syllable making the location of the voice that much more noticeable. The voice IS the Hexcore.
“You-you can speak?” Viktor asks the core, feeling rather foolish and thinking, maybe wishing for a moment, that he simply imagined it. All those late nights and little sleep finally catching up on him and making him hallucinate perhaps. The Hexcore being able to talk would be a massive scientific discovery! Too good to be true, so he must be imagining it.
“ You can speak?” the Hexcore again flashes as it communicates, a perfect imitation of Viktor’s own words parroted back at him. Incredible! Unbelievable! The whole time Viktor is looking at the Hexcore it is constantly moving, the symbols spins slowly, the light slowly and gently pulsating.
“Or can you just mimic?” He asks, leaning closer to the core, giving it his undivided attention as he takes in all the new fascinating changes happening before his eyes.
“ Can just mimic ” the core replies, again flashing and in a perfect copy of Viktor’s words, but... maybe he was imagining it, but it seemed that the core had dropped a few keys words from his question in order to provide a coherent answer. But no that couldn’t be it. If that were to be the case, then that meant the Hexcore was sentient. Capable of thoughts and feelings. He had to know. He had to check. He wouldn’t be able to call himself a scientist if he did not!
“Are you able to form your own sentences? Are you able to communicate?” Viktor is standing, his hands on the desk as he leans closer, as close as he can get to the core without climbing up onto the table. He has to know! He has to understand!
“Yes, Viktor- I- can- communicate.” the voice is now a mix of his own, and Jayce’s. Hearing the other man's cheerful affirmative while staring into the core is mind boggling. Viktor is literally watching the core evolve before his eyes and still hearing his partners voice without his physical presence.
“I have to call Jayce.” Viktor is already grabbing his crutch and moving before the thought is fully formed. He has to call Jayce and get him into the lab so they can experience this together, as partners. This is an amazing discovery! If the core is capable of thoughts and an ability to communicate, they can simply ask it all the questions they have! No need to spend hours upon hours testing various arcane combinations when they can simply ask the core for the combinations they want! The combinations they need.
Viktor is almost dizzy with excitement as he makes his way away from the desk, towards the door to head to the office to use the phone. Jayce is at an event at the Kiramman’s estate. He is sure there is some silly Piltover social rule about not making a house call when you know someone is hosting but this is more important than all that! This is a huge scientific breakthrough!
“ Viktor, wait! ” Jayce’s voice behind him has Viktor stopping in his tracks and pivoting to look at his partner, ready to plead his case about ignoring all these silly social rules that make no sense to him and are arbitrary at best, only to see the Hexcore. Viktor can’t help but feel a little foolish. But then, the Hexcore began shifting, glowing, expanding!
Viktor watches in both horror and fascination as the core shifts, all swirling purples and blues, expanding in size, forming appendages! The lights of the core and the overhead lights both flicker and flash violently, forcing Viktor to look away from the bright light, his arm coming up to shield his eyes. Just as suddenly as it started, it all ends. The room is thrown into darkness, the gas lamps outside throwing long and dark shadows across the floor and walls. The only sound in the whole room is Viktor’s heavy breathing.
Viktor slowly lowers his arm and looks at the desk he was sat at only moments ago. There is no bright light from the Hexcore, there is no light at all. His desk looks completely empty except for all the paper and pencils across the surface.
“ Viktor ” he can’t help the gasp as he hears is name in Jayce’s voice, whisper sounding so close Viktor would swear the man was standing right behind him. Suddenly lights from his desk, blotches of soft purples, swirling and lightly pulsating, almost seeming to follow Viktor’s heartbeat which is pounding oh so loudly in his ears. The lights move, shifting closer before sliding off the front of his desk and- oh. Oh, he would recognise that silhouette anywhere.
Tall, broad shoulders, massive biceps, thick legs, huge hands. It’s Jayce. The Hexcore has taken on the shape of Jayce. Viktor remains rotted on the spot as the core, as Jayce, advances on him.
“Viktor”, large hands reach for him, swirling purples and blacks, like light and shadow dancing in perfect harmony to keep a perfect form. The hand easily covers half of his face and it is... not quite cold, but it isn’t warm either. It’s not like the hot and heavy hands that Jayce lays on his shoulder when the other man leans over to read Viktors notes over his shoulder. This hand feels so light, as if it isn’t truly there. The Hexcore doesn’t have eyes, but it does have soft, gentle, cool lights where the eyes on Jayce’s face normally are. The eyes aren’t even close to the same colour as the real Jayce, but Viktor finds himself drowning in them anyway. Lost in the slow and gentle glow, lost in his own thoughts, lost in the gentle presence that is so much like Jayce, Viktor vaguely wonders if the core has been studying them the whole time they studied it.
“ Viktor.... m-my partner. Viktor is my partner ” he always loved hearing Jayce call him his partner. A selfish part of him wishes Jayce meant it in a different way instead of being partners for their work. But Jayce would never go for someone like him, a disabled Zaunite with a short lifespan. No. No, Jayce would go for someone else. Someone who can bask in the bright sun with him, not someone from the dark of the Undercity. Someone Jayce can have a long and happy life with, instead of the mere handful of years Viktor can offer him.
“Well, as impressive as this is, I really need to contact the real Jayce so that he may come and see your glorious evolution for himself.” Viktor’s tone is light as he gently grabs hold of the wrist of the hand resting against his cheek. As lovely as this all feels, this isn’t the real Jayce and the real Jayce does not want him romantically, so best to end the farce now instead of dragging it out. The Jayce before him wrinkles its’ brow, as if not understanding what Viktor means.
“ But- Viktor is my partner ” the shadow lifts it’s other hand to Viktor's hip, pulling him closer and moving its hand from Viktor’s cheek to the back of his head. It seems to only be using Jayce’s voice now, and it’s possessive statement and body language set off alarm bells in the back of Viktor’s mind, but he can’t help the way his breath hitches at the statement, so possessive yes, but spoken in Jayce's’ voice.
“Jay-” his response is cut off by soft, barely there lips against his own. The shadow feels more solid but somehow still as if it is not really there at all, as if Viktor could grab a hold of it but when his hands did make contact, there was an odd disconnect, as if he was resting his hands against a plane of glass and feeling the suns warmth, or like sitting down on plastic covered furniture perhaps, feeling something but not quite the real thing at the same time. Kissing it was oddly grounding while feeling like a dream all at once.
They stayed there for a few moments, Viktor held onto his crutch in a death grip with one hand while the other rested on the shadow's chest, both of the shadows massive hands were on Viktor still. Viktor is the one to break the kiss, stumbling back as he feels his face flush with heat from the embarrassment. What was he doing?! Kissing a- a-... kissing in the lap?! Heimerdinger would throw a fit! How unbecoming. What if Jayce came in and saw him kissing a- Viktor shook his head as he side steps the shadow of Jayce, he had to get some sleep. This whole thing was obviously in his head. The lack of sleep had finally caught up to him, that was the only logically explanation.
“ Why should it all being in your head make it any less real ?” Jayce’s voice yes, but he had never said that phrase. Almost as if he, it, had read Viktor’s thoughts. Viktor again found himself stopped and snapping his head to look at the Hexcore. “ I’m just as real as you or him .” The shadow creature turns to face Viktor, gently grabbing the hand not holding the crutch and bending down to place a soft, feather light kiss to the back of his hand. “ One day we will be together as partners. I promise .”
Viktor stares into those soft, glowing eyes and feels like he is drowning in all the emotions he swears he can feel burning in the depths of them. Emotions for him .
“Viktor?” He sits up with a start, letting out a hiss of pain as the sudden jolt hurts his back. “Shit sorry Vik. But sleeping at your desk isn’t good for your back, come on let’s move you to the couch while I get us both some coffee.” Viktor looks up at the man beside him, back lit from the early morning sunshine from the large window. Oh, he must have fallen asleep at the desk again. Jayce is freshly shaven and dressed in his usual Piltover fashion, meaning it must be the morning and his assistant, Sky, will be here soon as well. With a groan, and some help from Jayce, Viktor gets out of his desk chair and lets Jayce guide him to the couch before he is dashing off to make them both a drink.
A dream then, he decides later when he and Jayce are talking over coffee, his own cup sweetened with sweet milk while Jayce has his own black. Jayce is telling him all about the party, how he and Cait had made a drinking game to make the whole affair more barrable and have a bit of fun. Viktor has his back to the Hexcore as Jayce recounts the events, bright smile and mischief in his eyes, and he swears he feels the prickle of eyes on his and could swear he hears more whispers from the core itself, but no, it can’t be. It was all a dream after all.