Chapter Text
The room was heavy with the scent of Viktor’s heat, a cloying sweetness that clung to the air and made Jayce’s chest tighten. He stood frozen in the doorway, his heart pounding as he took in the sight before him. Viktor was curled up on his bed, shivering and drenched in sweat, his face pale but flushed. His usually sharp, calculating eyes were glassy and unfocused, rimmed with tears that betrayed his pain.
“Viktor,” Jayce whispered, his voice breaking. He stepped closer, guilt clawing at his chest. How had he let it come to this? He had been so consumed by his work, by the expectations thrust upon him, that he’d failed to see what was happening to the person who mattered most.
Viktor let out a weak whimper, his hands clutching at the sheets as if to ground himself. The sound pierced Jayce’s heart. He couldn’t delay another moment. Crossing the room, he crouched by Viktor’s side and gently rested a hand on his shoulder.
“I’m here,” Jayce said softly. “I’ve got you.”
Viktor didn’t respond, his breathing shallow and uneven. Jayce’s mind raced, trying to remember everything he’d read about omega care during a heat. Suppressants had kept Viktor from going through this for years, and it was clear his body wasn’t prepared. He needed comfort, stability, and most importantly, someone to ground him through the chaos of it all.
“I’m going to help you, okay?” Jayce murmured, though he wasn’t sure if Viktor could hear him. Carefully, he slipped his arms under Viktor’s trembling frame, lifting him as gently as he could. Viktor let out a small sound, his head falling against Jayce’s chest. The contact sent a jolt through Jayce, but he forced himself to stay focused. This wasn’t about him.
The bathroom was just down the hall, and Jayce carried Viktor there, his mind churning with worry. Once inside, he set Viktor down on a stool and quickly began filling the tub with lukewarm water. As it filled, Jayce undressed Viktor and himself down to their undergarments. Viktor’s breathing was still shallow, his fingers twitching as if reaching for something unseen.
“Stay with me,” Jayce said, his voice firmer this time. He knelt in front of Viktor, his hands steadying the omega’s shoulders. “We’re going to get through this.”
When the tub was ready, Jayce carefully eased Viktor into the water, climbing in behind him to provide support. Viktor’s head lolled back against Jayce’s shoulder, and for a moment, Jayce thought he might pass out entirely. The heat of his fever burned against Jayce’s skin, a stark reminder of how badly he’d failed Viktor.
As he held Viktor close, Jayce felt tears prick at his eyes. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, his voice cracking. “I’ve been so blind, Viktor. You trusted me, and I let you down.”
Viktor stirred faintly at his words, his lips parting as if to speak, but no sound came out. Jayce tightened his grip, his chin resting lightly on Viktor’s damp hair.
“I thought I was protecting you by bringing you into my house,” Jayce continued, his voice barely audible over the sound of the water. “But all I did was trap you. I didn’t think about what you needed or how you felt. I… I promise I’ll do better. You deserve better.”
The minutes stretched on, the warmth of the water gradually soothing Viktor’s trembling body. Jayce stayed with him, his arms wrapped securely around the omega, as if sheer will alone could make up for the neglect and pain he’d caused.
When Viktor finally spoke, his voice was weak but steady. “You are an idiot.”
Jayce let out a startled laugh, a mixture of relief and self-deprecation. “Yeah,” he admitted, brushing a damp strand of hair away from Viktor’s forehead. “I really am. But I’ll make it right. I swear I will.”
Viktor didn’t respond, but he leaned slightly into Jayce’s touch, a silent acknowledgment that, maybe, he believed him. And for Jayce, that was enough to hold onto for now.
It had all started when Viktor interrupted Jayce’s near-fatal dive after the catastrophe of a trial. Viktor wasn’t sure what it was about Jayce that compelled him to flick through the other man’s confiscated journals, but something had drawn him in—an inexplicable pull he couldn’t ignore. Perhaps it was the raw determination in Jayce’s eyes during the trial, or the way he carried himself with a mix of arrogance and vulnerability. Whatever it was, Viktor found himself poring over the pages, his curiosity piqued.
Viktor’s initial intentions had been to discuss the theory with Jayce and correct his math. But on a selfish note, Viktor had seen the potential for the research. The theory was sound, even if the math was wrong, and Viktor hadn’t seen something this revolutionary—this inspiring—in a long time.
Viktor had been working as an assistant for almost a year, and although he was grateful for the opportunity to work under the esteemed Councilor Heimerdinger, he couldn’t say he much enjoyed being forced to waste his time on the mundanity of the role. Don’t get Viktor wrong—he loved being able to join in on Heimerdinger’s research, but the endless bureaucracy and menial tasks as an assistant soon bogged down his already limited schedule.
So when Viktor glimpsed through Jayce’s notebook and saw his Hextech theory, he couldn’t help but feel that this was his chance to rise above the assistant role and into something revolutionary. A real chance to change things for the better. To help improve Zaun and give others a better chance in the world.
So he took his chance: “Am I interrupting?”
Less than 24 hours later, a break-in and a quick stint of floating saw the new Hextech partners starting their patent registration for their research. Because even though science waited for no one, it did wait for bureaucracy. And Jayce was nothing if not adamant that they were going to receive equal credit for their discovery.
(A secret part of Viktor was pleased by how adamant Jayce was. He hadn’t known many alphas in Piltover who would be so steadfast in making sure an omega from the Undercity received equal credit for what was mainly their own discovery. It stirred something in Viktor that he quickly buried deep.)
Bureaucracy would normally not have been an issue for Viktor, having worked as an assistant to Heimerdinger. He had experience with the endless list of bureaucratic tasks and tribulations that the head of the Academy had to deal with. But Piltover was also notorious for its stringent rules on secondary gender classes. Namely, Viktor, not having a last name and being an unclaimed omega, could not file to be an equal partner in their research. He had attempted to put “of the Undercity,” but apparently, that would not suffice as a way to recognize him. Having come from the Undercity, where family names were easily forgotten among orphaned children, an omega with no last name and family ties simply did not exist, according to Piltover, and so the credit would fall solely to Jayce.
Viktor had initially been sour but was ready to accept it, as the original theory was not even his, technically. But Jayce, the stubbornly gracious man who would not accept Viktor not being recognized, was determined to solve this equation. And when he couldn’t find the answer in bureaucratic rules (no matter how many hours he spent poring over laws to find a loophole), he looked for another answer and found it.
A harem.
Harem's weren't overly common in Piltover (especially among lower houses) but they weren't unheard of. An alpha that was head of their house could initiate any willing person into their harem and allow them to be part of their household, thus Jayce could enter Viktor into his household and grant him the last name of Talis.
(Jayce had, of course, thought of just marrying Viktor. But considering he had only just met the omega, Jayce figured that his new partner might hate him less if he asked him to be part of his harem rather than tying him for life to someone he had met less than 24 hours ago. But he couldn’t deny he had spent far too long imagining himself proposing marriage to the omega who had quite literally saved his life and life’s work in one single night.)
Being part of a harem in Piltover granted members of the public many of the privileges of being under a house while still maintaining a certain freedom to leave should they meet another partner. It was more of a social status thing when used today than what it had been hundreds of years ago where households had harems full of concubines. So Jayce initiated Viktor into his harem without any second-guessing.
In hindsight, Jayce should have probably asked Viktor beforehand. But he was running on no sleep for the last 40-something hours and was desperate to allow Viktor equal credit on the project that he had made a reality. He didn’t have the time to properly explain the proposition to the omega, then fill out the paperwork, wait for approval, and file for their patent claims. Not when there was research to be done.
So, once he had submitted the paperwork for the harem application and gotten approval for both Viktor into the House of Talis and approval for their patent under Jayce and Viktor Talis (which sent a thrill of excitement down Jayce’s spine that he didn’t have time to think about too deeply), Jayce rushed over to Viktor to let him know what he had done.
This was followed by Jayce being promptly whacked with Viktor’s cane. After a lot of arguing (Viktor) and some begging (Jayce), the matter was agreed upon reluctantly, and Viktor was going to gather his things from his small academy apartment to move into Talis’ residence.
Now, standing in front of House Talis, Viktor wondered if he shouldn’t have hit Jayce harder with his cane.
Jayce had meant well, or at least, that’s what Viktor told himself. The alpha had insisted that this arrangement was for Viktor’s protection as well as academic integrity. That perhaps being unclaimed and in close proximity to an alpha for such a long duration of time—especially one from a noble house—would only lead to scandal and ruin should Viktor later pursue a partner himself. But Viktor couldn’t help but feel like he was giving up what little autonomy he had in Piltover the closer he got to House Talis.
(A small, hidden part of Viktor was slightly disappointed Jayce hadn’t offered to marry him instead. But the thought of a tall, handsome alpha like Jayce marrying an omega like Viktor was something Viktor didn’t allow himself to imagine often.)
Ximena, Jayce’s mother, had greeted him at the door with a smile that was more awkward than warm. She’d ushered him inside, offering tea and polite conversation that did little to mask her discomfort. Viktor had kept his responses short but respectful, his posture stiff as he sat in the comfortably furnished parlor.
“You’ll have your own room, of course,” Ximena had said, her hands fidgeting with the edge of her shawl. “Jayce…he told me about your…arrangement. I hope you’ll find our home accommodating.”
Viktor had nodded politely, sipping on his tea to avoid her gaze. He knew she didn’t approve of him. He could see it in the way she struggled to make conversation with him the moment Jayce left the room. Her lips opened and closed with uncertainty before pressing together into a line. Viktor wasn’t sure if her disapproval of him was a result of him being a crippled omega or an omega from the Undercity (perhaps it was both).
He just hoped that Jayce knew what he was doing.