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“Last name?” Viktor asked, slightly tilting his head, his work goggles were on, so he wasn’t really focussing on Jayce, nonetheless, he could hear his voice behind him. And even if he wasn’t looking directly at him, Viktor was sure Jayce had that expression on, the one that made him look like a confused puppy.
“Yes, your last name Viktor. I’m sure you have one!” He added humour in his tone, like he was asking something so obvious they had to laugh about it.
But actually, Viktor didn’t have a last name. Jayce wasn’t really used to zaunite traditions and it was something so normal to the topside people it seemed impossible there was another way to live, or to be named. Viktor himself forgot about it, he presented with his name, nothing more was necessary, and when he was an assistant it wasn’t an issue, so he forgot it had a weight here, in the topside.
“Well,” Viktor removed his goggles so he could turn around and look at Jayce to explain. And there it was, that expression, but instead of the confusion it was something like an underlying excitement. “What’s with that face of yours?” He asked, interrupting the explanation.
“Oh, well, you know…” Jayce rubbed his neck, averting his eyes for a couple of seconds that felt like minutes to Viktor, he wasn’t upset with him, it was more of a curiosity as to why the man looked that excited to ask a question so simple. “I was planning on asking, I…” Jayce cleared his throat, “I like to know things about you. Not only science talk, but to know you. You’re not only my lab partner, you’re…” He paused, averting his eyes again, so Viktor spared him of the awkwardness that whatever he wanted to say caused.
“I do not have a last name, Jayce.” He simply said, from the position he was in, on his chair, he had to look up rather than eye to eye, and still, he could clearly see the range of emotions that went through Jayce’s eyes as if he was looking directly at them.
“What? What do you mean you don’t have one?” Jayce was dumbfounded, mouth slightly open to accompany his furrowed eyebrows.
“I do not, most zaunites do not have one either. All of them, if I can recall correctly.” He paused, putting a hand on his chin, “but I have been on Piltover for too long, maybe things have changed.”
“But you’re one of the ones that don’t have one?”
“I suppose so, yes.” Viktor tilted his head and looked at him. “Why is it important now?”
“I… Well, it’s not like…” Jayce started to trail off again.
“Jayce.” Viktor softly spoke his name to redirect him.
“Yes. It’s because we need both of our full names for the patent of the Hexgates. I can’t just put Viktor, there’s surely a lot of Viktors out there.”
“But none of them like me.” He smiled, smugness in his whole demeanor.
“None.” Jayce replied sweetly, a smile posed a little too long on his lips. “But still, there has to be a way. And why don’t you have one? Why none of the zaunites have one?” He turned around, looking for a chair to be at the same level as Viktor. He dragged the chair and sat in front of him, his body going forward, full attention on what his partner had to say.
“Last names are a commodity, Jayce. It is important for topside people, as they have to make a name, a brand for themselves and their family. It holds weight as they want to be recognized, to have a legacy.” He paused, closed his eyes for a couple of seconds, still feeling the intensity of Jayce’s gaze on him. It had been a long time since he remembered his roots, where he was really from, his parents. “They want an empire, so they have the need for a name to be associated with, to differentiate themselves from others.”
“Do undercity people not want a legacy?” Jayce asked, confused yet understanding. He was a Talis his whole life, it’s a part of him, but also his last name came with a certain weight; the respectability his parents wanted, the better future, the building of something. More so now, that he was the so-called “Man of Progress”.
“It is different.” Viktor remembered his mother briefly, his father, the life they wanted for him. “You have to make a name for yourself, our names are often not that common. You do not have the benefit of being born with a last name that shields you, so you have to make that… Shield, yourself, as your parents did for themselves.” He paused, remembering the way his father defended him and his mother. “If you are lucky they will recognize your not so common name, no need for a last name. The concept of family… It is different in the undercity.”
And if as Jayce could read his mind, he asked. “What are your parents' names?” Viktor opened his mouth, a little surprised by the blurred out question. “I’m sorry, I,” he panicked. “I didn’t mean to intrude into your life.”
“It is okay.” Viktor reassured before Jayce started spiraling, a habit he noticed he was prompt to commit a lot around him. “Aleksandr and Vanka.” He noticed he hadn’t said their names for ages, both of them gone a long time ago. And then, he couldn’t stop himself, not really familiar with lying his life out in the open, but it was Jayce, it was okay with him, it was, somehow, safe.
“Sasha, the breaker, they called him.” Viktor smiled, remembering his father's strong embrace. Jayce looked at him, confused, and before he could ask, Viktor managed to read the doubt in his mind. “It is how we shorten the names in my mother tongue.” He smiled and continued, “it actually means defender.”
Jayce hummed, prompting him to keep talking.
“Tall and strong, a miner. Fierce and yet, so caring. He looked out for my mother and me a lot. There was no person that dared to look at me with pity when he was around, and so, every man in the bar respected my mother.” Viktor laughed, soft and loud enough for Jayce to hear him, but not enough for anyone else to notice that they weren’t getting any work done.
“He could break anything with those miners' gauntlets, and also, without them. A couple of bones have gone broken at the expense of my father. You know, I am still his son, I can break your nose if you dare to not do your job correctly.” Viktor looked at Jayce as seriously as he could.
“I’m sure you could, Viktor.” Jayce laughed and pushed his shoulder lightly.
“I am serious.” He smiled, then continued. “Some men wanted to… Get more attention that they could get from my mother. A delicate, rare, beauty.” The image of his mother’s smile was still fresh in his mind, although he didn’t have the time to think about her that much, not now, with Hextech and everything they had to accomplish with it. “My father always said we had the same eyes.” Her fragile figure, the golden locks of her hair, her golden eyes, everything was still so fresh. How did he dare not think of his mother for that long?
“How is she like?” Jayce had put a hand on his knee without him noticing, his eyes were full of empathy, of understanding. Maybe Viktor’s eyes betrayed him, gave away his ache of missing his mother.
“The sweetest woman in the undercity. She always made me this sweet thing to soothe me, sweetmilk.” The smile returned to his lips, reaching his eyes, Jayce smiled with him, at him. “They loved each other a lot. My mother worked at a bar my father frequented, and after the first time they laid eyes on each other they could not live without the other.”
Jayce remember his own parents, his father not being alive long enough for him to really remember how they loved each other. His mother, on the other hand, never remarried and kept missing him, the look in her eyes telling everything he needed to know, even when she told Jayce not to worry.
“They wanted a better life for me.” Viktor’s eyes went directly to his hands, the machines they could make to make a difference, a better life for other people, for people like his parents. “I knew it since I was young, I looked at my father’s back and knew I would never be strong like him, but he said I needed to be better. That I was blessed, having a mind like mine, that I won’t break my back to put the bread on my table.”
“You’re blessed, Viktor. I couldn’t have done all of this without you.” Jayce pressed his hand on Viktor’s knee, it never left. Viktor didn’t even notice, Jayce touching him was like second skin by now, and still it was… New. A sparkle he didn’t dare to think about for too long.
“They used everything they had to send me here, every penny.” Viktor looked at Jayce, it seemed important to do so. “They wanted a better life for their only son. And so, here I am.”
“I’m sure they’re proud of you.” Jayce reassured him again, eyes sparkling. Viktor attributed the feeling he felt to talking about his parents.
“Were.”
“Oh,” Jayce panicked again, his hand leaving Viktor’s knee as quickly as he could, like it was fire, but Viktor felt the cold, missing the touch. “I didn’t knew, I,” his words came out of his mouth all scrambled together. “I’m so sorry Viktor.”
“It is not your fault, Jayce. I never talked about my parents.” Viktor moved on his seat, readjusting himself. “They died a couple of years ago, together, I might add.” He looked at Jayce, wanting to know more and at the same time not wanting to ask.
“An explosion, a fight.” He continued, satiating his partner’s curiosity. “When shimmer first arrived, one of those men wanted to step out of their line with my mother. My father just came from work and saw that, hitting the man’s jaw without a doubt, or so they told me.” A lingering pain. “The man had shimmer on him, he injected himself and destroyed the whole bar, too out of his mind, if there was any left.” He scoffed. “The alcohol on the floor, everywhere, the gas leak they surely had, a lighter.” Viktor paused, the pain growing stronger. How could he? How could… “Boom, they were gone, just like that. My father trying to protect my mother.”
Jayce grabbed his hands, wrapping them with his own. The warmth grounding Viktor, he didn’t even notice when he started slightly shaking. But Jayce was there, listening, caring for the story of two poor undercity people that didn’t even have a last name.
“I could have gotten them out of there, Jayce.” The hands wrapped him stronger. “They did not want to, they wanted for me to have a life of my own, to make a name for myself.” He sighed. “I should have tried harder.”
“They wanted the best for you, as you want the best for the future, for our future.” Jayce looked for his gaze, lifting a hand to cup his face so he would look at him again. “They’re proud of you, Viktor. Of who you have become.” Viktor leaned into the touch, daring not to think for a moment.
Viktor kept his eyes closed, moving the hand Jayce was not holding to wrap it around the one that was gently cupping his face. He opened his eyes, meeting Jayce’s caring gaze, soft, unspoken understanding, love even.
The moment he realized what they were doing, he flinched, opening his eyes. Jayce blushed instantly, ending the touch between the two, clearing his throat.
“And that is the story of why I do not have a last name.” Viktor laughed, wanting to brush off the moment, too delicate, too vulnerable. “I can go by Aleksandrovich.” He looked at Jayce again, who was still blushing slightly. “It means son of Aleksandr.” He laughed again, softly and rapidly. “Forget it. It is not my people’s custom." He waved his hand, as if he could shake the idea away. "Foremostly, my father would have hated it. He would say I have to create my own name, the history of naming your children like that was too long ago.”
“Viktor Aleksandrovich,” Jayce repeated again, “you can do that, we need a last name for the patent, Viktor. I wasn't joking.” Jayce tried to recompose himself.
“No, I will honour the memory of my father. No last name, at least, not one that comes from him.”
“You can have mine, then.” Jayce's mind was too quick sometimes, even for his own good. He was a genius when it came to machines, engineering, and even understanding magic, but when it came down to talking to the people he liked he went shortcut.
“What?” Viktor asked, his hands were on his work goggles again, about to resume work.
“I mean- I believe- You should,” everything he wanted to say fell short. He breathed, in and out. “You can have mine, my last name. We need it for the patent.” He looked at Viktor, who was still puzzled.
“You realize I will get registered into your family’s name, right? It can inconvenience your mother, I’m not her son. It can bring problems to your own inheritance.” Viktor turned fully to Jayce again, too surprised by the idea, a bad idea.
“It is important for me that your name is there. It's our Hextech dream. Besides, no, not as her son. We can-” he mumbled. “We can marry, Viktor. You can have my last name, the work we do together will have both our names but my mother won’t have anything to do with it, you will be on my family record. As my-” he trailed off again, having a deep breath before saying that word, carefully, seriously. “As my husband.”
“And what if you want to marry?” Viktor raised his eyebrows, incredulous of what he was hearing.
“I won’t.” Jayce simply said.
“You will.” Viktor replied, dryly.
“I won’t.” Jayce took his hand again, feeling lighter, more confident. “I promise you.” Viktor’s full attention was on his eyes, pupils almost unnoticeable bigger, unnoticeable for others, Viktor knew Jayce. “I want your name there, I want the world to know it was you, no other Viktor, you.”
“Viktor Talis.” Viktor said, smirking.
“Don’t make fun of it!” Jayce pouted, like a kid would.
“Are you really sure about this?” He asked, Jayce’s hand still holding his.
“I’m. Are you?”
“Of course not.” Viktor laughed. It was a bad idea, it was stupid, yet it was… Sweet. He doesn’t know why, but his heart skipped a beat at the thought of it.
“What do you say? Viktor Talis?” Jayce smirked back, feeling a little better now.
“I think you will regret it.” Jayce frowned at his response, holding his hand with more pressure now.
“I won’t.” He stated, serious, serious than Viktor has ever seen him.
“Then…” He paused, wanting to have better judgment, but it was impossible. Did Jayce just propose to him? A husband? He thought about his parents again. The life they wanted for him. And maybe marry Jayce, just so his name could be there would be legacy enough for them to be proud of. It wasn’t right, maybe he was clouded by emotions. “Yes. Let’s do it.”
Jayce smiled, brighter than the sun that filtered through their lab window.
“Really?” He replied, almost jumping off of his chair.
“Yes, let’s get myself one of your fancy topside people last names.”
And Viktor knew it was maybe too much, too soon, too stupid, but he closed the distance between them, still holding Jayce’s hand, kissing his cheek.
“For my future husband.” He could see Jayce’s rapid blush take his whole face and neck, too flustered to even know what to do.
Viktor Talis, he thought.
It has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?