Chapter Text
Jayce walks down the corridor and tries to control his breathing.
He wishes he could break into a sprint just to reach the infirmary faster, but he knows that will attract unwanted attention. It’s too early to be seen walking out of councillor Medarda’s chambers, let alone spotted running away from it. So Jayce wills himself just to put a foot in front of the other, keeping the same pace as the enforcer tasked to find him. She had offered the name of her house before stating her purpose, but Jayce can’t remember it now and doesn’t want to ask.
The enforcer smells like a beta, for which Jayce is deeply grateful. He doesn’t make a habit of paying attention to other people’s designations, and most alphas and omegas wear scent blockers anyway, but still, it’s a relief to know she won’t be able to smell how nervous he really feels. Or even what exactly he had been doing most of the night, even if she probably could guess it. There aren’t many alphas and omegas flaunting their designations around, it’s considered crass behaviour. Piltover didn’t become the City of Progress by allowing its citizens to fall prey to their base instincts.
Since presenting, Jayce was taught to keep his alpha traits in check, especially because he wanted to thrive in an academic environment. He doesn’t think he’s doing a very good job at it lately, though. With each new decision he makes, it feels like he’s getting far apart from his older self, the one who used to be more excited about knowledge than power.
As seconds stretch into minutes, Jayce curses himself and can’t help wondering what if he had decided to stay in the lab instead of playing politics. What if Mel hadn’t kissed him, if they hadn’t-
Could Jayce somehow have prevented whatever happened to Viktor?
The enforcer didn’t have any information on his friend’s status, only that Jayce needed to follow her stat, so he didn’t waste time asking questions. He briefly considered leaving Mel a note but knew she would understand. He barely had the time to wash his face so he’s painfully aware of his wrinkled clothes and overall unkempt appearance, but none of this matters now. Viktor needs him.
“Councillor Talis, thank you for coming,” a short, plump woman says once he arrives at the hospital wing. “I'm Doctor Ray, may I have a word with you?”
“I want to see Viktor,” he replies, trying not to make it sound like an order. Doctor Ray doesn’t react badly to his words, so Jayce hopes he has succeeded.
“Viktor is asleep now, and I need to discuss his condition with his next of kin,” she pauses, examining the file in her hands. “He has put down your name. Shall I call someone else instead?”
Jayce frowns. “No, no, that wouldn’t be-” he hesitates before following the doctor into a well-lit, but small office and taking the seat offered to him. “Thank you for helping him.”
“I wish we could have done more, but he’s not- I am afraid I don’t have good news.”
Jayce swallows dry. He doesn’t know how to describe what he feels as he takes in the look on the doctor’s face. A mixture of powerlessness and pity. He notices the tugging at his heart has stopped as if his chest had become suddenly hollow. He resists the urge to press a hand over his sternum just to make sure everything is still where it should be.
He nods, not trusting his voice and waits for Doctor Ray to continue. She proceeds to peruse Viktor’s file and explain what happened while Jayce had been sleeping in the comfort of Mel’s arms. In a clear, almost detached tone, the doctor tells him how their assistant, Miss Young had found Viktor unconscious on the lab’s floor, how worse things could have turned if she had been only one hour late...
“If I understand correctly, it is common for Viktor to work through the night?”
Jayce nods again, feeling like there’s a growing lump in his throat. He had lost count of how many nights they had spent working on their shared dream. And yes, many of those nights were filled with frustration and arguments, but there had been laughter and utter brilliance and Jayce wouldn’t have traded any of them for anything in the world...
And yet, last night, he did.
Not for the first time, Jayce asks himself if he did the right thing by joining the Council. Last night, as he closed deal after deal, he felt like an actor playing a role almost too big for him. But he allowed himself to believe he could do it, and he felt powerful, like he was in control, making a difference, as much as he did with Hextech. But when the night ended, instead of going back to the lab, he followed Mel to her chambers for a celebratory drink and now, the memory of every kiss and caress they shared feels tainted. Jayce shivers.
“Viktor has lost some blood and unfortunately, we couldn’t locate where exactly the haemorrhage originated, not without doing an exploratory surgery, which we can't recommend in his state, of course. But we believe it's something in his lungs,” Doctor Ray continues, flipping through the pages. There were quite a few of them. Jayce figures this is not Viktor’s first visit to the hospital wing, but that sight is troubling. “His labs are not good, I'm... I'm so very sorry.”
Doctor Ray offers Jayce the folder and he hesitates before accepting it, but in the end, he picks it up, even if it feels like he’s handling a ticking bomb. But he’s still a scientist, so Jayce keeps his wits about him. He holds his breath as he reads the alarming numbers, the hollow in his chest quickly filling up with dread.
“How long does he have?” Jayce asks, pushing the folder back. That’s when he notices there’s a second file on the doctor’s hands. The folder is thinner and looks brand new. ”Is that also Viktor’s...?”
The doctor nods, but she doesn’t open it yet. “It’s just, we don’t see many cases like his. There is not enough data on people growing up in that type of... environment.”
She looks embarrassed and Jayce can imagine why. There’s never enough data about people from the Undercity. Piltover is usually more concerned about keeping them out than trying to understand what afflicts them. That often had been a sore point between Viktor and him and now the shame feels like it could eat Jayce from the inside.
“But I’m afraid we have more pressing matters, do you-” the doctor pauses, her shoulders tense before she flicks the second folder open. “Do you know Viktor is an omega?”
The question hangs between them as Jayce’s face burns.
Viktor has never said anything, but Jayce knew. Well, he strongly suspected at least. He isn’t sure exactly when he realised that, though it probably had been during those first weeks they worked together in Jayce’s new assigned rooms, right before they got a proper lab. One night, Viktor had fallen asleep on their work table and Jayce had helped him to lay down on his couch. Even back then, Viktor seemed to weigh nothing and Jayce was afraid if he held him too strongly, he could snap his bones like a bird. He feels himself earning to have that time back but with enough wisdom to do things differently.
“Yeah,” Jayce replies, casting his eyes down to his hands, the memory of Viktor’s scent adhering to his skin. It had been sweet but also tinged with exhaustion, though at the time Jayce had just assumed it was a string of sleepless nights playing its part. “We never discussed it, but I knew of it.”
“I see, well, there is no easy way to say it, but I’m afraid that, on top of everything else going on in his body, Viktor is also entering his heat”, Doctor Ray lets out a heavy sigh. Jayce can almost smell the frustration on her. “In fact, his collapse might have accelerated it.”
Jayce’s hands start to shake, so he balls them into fists. He knows about heats and ruts, everyone knows, but those subjects are considered even more taboo than the designations themselves. Ruts are more common in bonded alphas or during situations of extreme stress, such as war, so he only experienced a couple of them since presenting. But heats are another matter entirely. Jayce feels something cold and hot stirring in his lower belly and he closes his eyes, his mouth suddenly dry. He fights a fit of cough before speaking.
“Tell me what to do,” he all but begs. “Tell me how to help him.”
Doctor Ray blinks back, her face unreadable for a moment. Jayce wonders if she’s surprised by his reaction and realises he doesn’t care that much.
“I have a few more questions... have you known each other for long?”
Jayce frowns, wondering how that could be relevant, but he answers anyway. “About seven years, what that-”
“And during that time, did you ever know of Viktor going into heat?”
“No, of course no!” Jayce almost shouts, his anxiety temporarily replaced by sheer embarrassment. “I would never ask him something like that.”
“I'm sorry, Councillor, but you must understand, that’s exactly what I was afraid of. After presenting, male omegas have less heats than females, yes, but still, they are expected to have at least one cycle every six months... so if Viktor never took some time off to deal with his heats for the past seven years; well, it’s likely because he has suppressed them with the help of potions... and most likely illicit ones as we couldn’t find any records of him ordering them through our regular channels.”
For a moment, Jayce is too stunned to speak. His knowledge of suppressants is superficial at best, which makes him feel stupid in all different ways, and yeah, he definitely can see Viktor doing illegal stuff, shit, they became friends by breaking the law together, but now, to know Viktor has purposely poisoned himself because of who he is?
“Why, why would he do that-” Jayce starts but regrets his question the second it leaves his mouth. It feels like a violation of his friend’s privacy more than everything else he has learned today.
Doctor Ray looks at him with so much kindness Jayce wants to scream, or maybe throw a chair to a window, but he doesn’t move, barely dares to breathe. “Many reasons actually, heats can be very hard on the body, especially when one is unbounded, it’s known to keep omegas bedridden for days, so there’s the social stigma as well...” she sighs. “And, of course, there are omegas who choose to use suppressants to avoid unwanted pregnancies.”
Jayce soldiers himself at that last sentence. They have been friends for seven years and not once Viktor has mentioned any desire to have children, to start a family. Truth to be told, he rarely talked about his past and when he spoke about the future, the focus had always been on their research, their legacy, and now-
“You asked how long your friend has left and the honest answer is that we don’t know,” Doctor Ray continues, her shoulders slouching. “We can’t stop the damage that has already been done, but we can try to delay it, so it could be one or two years, but it also could be only a few months if Viktor continues skipping meals and if doesn’t get enough sleep, and of course if-”
“I will make sure that he does all that, doctor, I-”
“Sorry to interrupt, Councillor, but that’s the point. Viktor has to survive his heat first,” Doctor Ray says and Jayce feels like someone has punched the air out of him. “We considered putting him under a chemical-induced coma until his heat is over, but since we don’t know what kind of suppressants he has taken, or even for how long, it’s too risky and, anyway, that window has now passed. Viktor has to go through it the natural way, it’s the safest option for him.”
Jayce shudders, waiting for the doctor to say anything else, for her to tell him what he needs to do, how can he help, but it seems she’s done talking this time. It’s hard to gather his thoughts, but Jayce has no other choice.
“You said, you said heats can be too hard on the body, so how letting him go through that can be safe?”
Doctor Ray nods and opens a drawer on her desk, pulling out a large folder. This one looks quite different from the others. It's almost two inches thick.
“A heat is about the balance between alpha and omega, it’s supposed to be shared,” the doctor’s words pierce right through Jayce’s soul. “I’m aware Viktor isn’t mated, but is there a chance he has an alpha in his life that could help him? A partner?”
He’s my partner, Jayce hears himself scream in the past. The words shatter inside his chest, but he knows that’s not the kind of partner the doctor refers to.
“Not that I know of,” Jayce replies, every word tasting like dust in his mouth.
Doctor Ray sighs. “Well, in this case, we would recommend hiring a heat partner for him. They can be quite expensive, of course, but all things considered, it’s our best option, here-”
“Wait,” Jayce interrupts. “A heat partner? You mean someone to-?”
“Someone to breed Viktor until his heat abides, yes,” she replies, and for the first time since Jayce arrived, the doctor sounds annoyed. “Don't worry, he’s very unlikely to conceive due to his health, and we can give him a potion to terminate a pregnancy if it ever comes to it, but yes, first he needs to go through his heat, as I said, here-”
Before Jayce can process what he just has heard, the doctor opens the thick folder over the desk. It takes a moment for him to understand he’s looking at a series of profiles.
They are separate between alphas and omegas, Jayce realises as he peruses the pages. There are no pictures, but each profile has a small vial containing a piece of cloth labelled as ‘scent marks’. Each file has a registration number, followed by a list of stats such as gender, age, blood type, height and weight, and also the last time they had a check-up. In the case of the omegas, there is also info about the time of their last heat, if they had birthed children and how many. For the alphas, there is a space to fill out information about the length of their penis and the maximum size of their engorged knots, as well as the approximate time it takes for it to shrink...
“A hired heat partner has no claim of any eventual offspring these matings may bring about, and rut partners are required to be on birth control, but of course in case something goes amiss, omegas will have signed a contract, so the alpha won’t have to deal with an unwanted fetus...”
Jayce closes the folder with enough force to shake the whole desk. From the corner of his eyes, he notices the way the doctor flinches, but she recovers fast enough.
“Is there anything wrong?” she asks and Jayce immediately shakes his head, not sure how to reply that he feels like throwing that folder through a window. Or maybe setting it on fire.
Just... the mere thought of any of those numbers putting their hands on Viktor... breaching his body with their carefully measured pricks... their knots locking one of them and Viktor together and then staying joined for 25, 30, fucking 50 minutes while they fill Viktor with their seed... claiming him as their partner-
“Councillor? Councillor Talis?”
The doctor’s words are almost too loud in the small room, but Jayce can’t answer. His mind is back to the night he helped Viktor to his couch, wondering how things would have been different if he had taken Viktor to his bed instead. It was a small bed and they wouldn’t have done anything, they were always too tired, but maybe, maybe Viktor would have known then that he could have come to Jayce when he needed help with things like this... maybe it would have been clear that Jayce would always be there for him...
“This... this won't be necessary, Doctor, thank you,” Jayce says, glad his voice doesn’t falter despite the weight of his words. He pushes the closed folder across the table. “Viktor is my partner and I will take care of him.”