Chapter Text
They never knew exactly what it was they were following. Lyra never knew what to make of the sensation. All they knew was that they would get this feeling inside their chest every now and then that they couldn’t ignore. A pulling, tugging them along toward some unknown destination. Usually it kept them out of trouble, so they’d continued to follow the pull since they started to feel it. Lyra’s parents were convinced it was magic; that the Arcane was pulling their child towards their destiny. Lyra just liked having the guidance. It was a small consolation that no matter where they ended up, there was always a purpose to it. Nothing happened in their life without meaning.
So when they started feeling the pull towards the academy in Piltover they followed it without hesitation. That was a couple of years ago now, and Lyra had come up in the world. At least, it was better than how they’d been living before. Now they were surrounded by other bright minds, people who saw the world in a somewhat similar light. Inventors, visionaries, people who asked the big questions. Lyra was one of them. The tugging in their chest helped them make friends; some of whom were very good with machinery and bringing supposedly insane ideas to life.
The familiar tug then, one night, had them following after the Dean of the academy, who was accompanied by enforcers. Odd. The trial had just come to a close not long ago, and now there was even more trouble brewing? And if it was, why was Lyra being pulled towards it? Normally it led them away from problems, not into them! But still, they followed it, ever curious, hoping that the wheels of their chair were greased enough to not let out an alarming squeak.
They could hear yelling, and suddenly there was a loud boom. Not quite an explosion, more so a release of energy. Lyra knew that pulse. Knew it like the back of their hand. Magic! Their hands tightened on the handles of the wheels, trying to propel themself forward just a little bit faster. Maybe the pull is bringing them towards the magic? It wouldn’t be the first time.
Thankfully the guards were incapacitated, still collecting themselves after the initial pulse. Lyra could feel it in the air now as they slowed to a crawl, their fingers tingling on the metal handles of their chair.
“...but just because it can be done, doesn’t mean… Will you please stop hovering?” Lyra couldn’t tell if Heimerdinger was upset or…impressed. They also didn’t know which option was better, given the circumstances.
“I’m not sure how to do that, sir,” came the reply, lighthearted. Lyra knew that soft voice. Heimerdinger’s assistant, Viktor. What in the world was he doing here–
“Oh my,” Lyra gasped as they turned to the open doorway. Their veins thrummed with magic, their eyes glued to the two men suspended in the air. Viktor and…and the man on trial himself, Jayce Talis. All around them were these beautiful blue motes of magic floating alongside them in the air. The two men were passing a small cog through what seemed to be the epicenter of this magical release.
“This is not what Piltover’s future looks like, my dear boys,” Heimerdinger scolded. Ah, so he was disappointed after all. Shame. Lyra lifted a single hand from their wheel and reached out, but drew back once they heard the loud clicking of heels against the floor. Someone else was joining this little impromptu soiree.
“That’s for the council to decide.” Oh. Oh no, that’s…shit. Why were they pulled here amidst all this? Because of the magic? But this is–it’s– “Perhaps it’s time,” Councilor Medarda continued, breaking Lyra’s thoughts, “for the era of magic.”
“Uh, Hextech,” Jayce corrected. Lyra’s eyebrows lifted high on their forehead. “For the era of Hextech.” Hm. Not the best name, not the worst name. Certainly to the point.
“Lyra! Dear, what are you doing here? How did you even–” Lyra turned in fear to the professor, eyes wide. Even still, they kept shifting their gaze up to Viktor and Jayce suspended mid-air. “Guards! Take them back to their room! This isn’t safe–”
“No, I can help!” They screamed, eyes now consistently and noticeably going between Heimerdinger and the two mischievous scientists. “They need to get down, right? I can do that.”
The professor sighed, hand to his forehead. “Lyra, how could you help? Your area of work is in medical science, this isn’t–” They cut him off with a raised hand, not even looking at him now. The pull was happening again.
“Call it an extracurricular endeavor,” they answered coolly, pushing themself forward. Towards the little glowing ball in the center of this arcane catastrophe. That’s where they were being pulled. At least, they’re pretty sure of it. “How did this start?” they asked the two men. Lyra braved sticking one of their feet into the larger blue bubble that encased them but pulled away once that foot started to levitate.
“The interface!” Jayce answered, breathless. He pointed towards a contraption floating amongst them. A metal frame encasing a spherical blue crystal utterly vibrating with magic. “I just… I don’t know, started putting things into it and now we’re up here. Do you know how to reverse it?”
“Safely, I might add,” Viktor urged.
“Tsk,” Lyra tutted, taking in the display of rings and runes floating in the air. “You seriously did this without having a solution? Did you even know what you were doing in the first place?” Their eyes shot to Jayce, who visibly grimaced. “You’re lucky you didn’t accidentally turn yourselves inside out. Okay,” they sighed, “let me see if I can get you down.”
Time to be brave, they thought to themself, letting their whole leg be pulled into the sphere of anti-gravity. Lyra closed their eyes and took a deep breath, then released the handles of their wheelchair. Electricity sparked in their veins, fire and water coming to meet their fingertips. Push and pull. Cause and effect. Their muscles, usually worn and screaming for rest, felt invigorated. There was no pain, no discomfort. They were suspended in a pool of warmth, safe and comfortable. It reminded them briefly of their parents. When they released the breath they’d been holding and opened their eyes, they were floating alongside Viktor and Jayce, the blue crystal just out of reach. Perfect.
They could hear Heimerdinger and Councilor Medarda going back and forth, arguing in the background of all the chaos. One of the guards, who they could barely see in their periphery, had moved their wheelchair back away from the sphere of magic. A smart move, but will make getting back to it a little harder once they fix this.
With a flick of the wrist, Lyra began their best approximation of how to undo this mess. Gesticulating wildly, flowing with the tingle in their blood. Move with it, never fight it. If there is resistance, you’ve done something wrong. Runes began to shine in the air and the crystal resonated with them. Thank god. A low hum and rumble took over the air as more runes took shape. Lyra concentrated as hard as they could on not getting a single thing wrong. Failure would mean seriously harming not just themself, but these two young men as well. Something they couldn’t afford.
Slowly, almost at a snail’s pace, the three of them started to lower back to the floor. The runes in the air slowly faded away. Gravity was taking back over. Lyra tuned out the gasps and mumbles of surprise, too focused on not messing up now that they were so close. Their feet were almost back on the floor.
“How do you know runes?” Jayce asked. He was the first one to fully set his feet back down. Lyra just winked at him.
“Extracurricular activities, like I said,” they answered teasingly. Sadly, Lyra didn’t make such a graceful landing, their legs giving out the moment they hit the floor. Being weightless was nice while it lasted. Lyra held themself up with their arms and kept their eyes on Viktor, making sure he made it down as well. Thankfully the man caught the end of a desk and used it for leverage, but they could see him struggling to hold himself up.
“Oh, let me help you,” Jayce muttered, immediately coming to Lyra’s side. They let out a yelp when they were unexpectedly picked up. Normally people just held their hand. A warm flush took over their face, pulled into Jayce’s chest as he carried them back to their wheelchair.
“Th-thanks.” Lyra gripped the wheels hard. Initially, they looked down to avoid eye contact with the man who’d suddenly just carried them bridal style back to their chair, but the color drained from their face when they saw all that had broken in the initial burst of magic. Among them was a cane shattered in half. On instinct, they looked over to Viktor. They’d seen him around the academy. The man always walked with a cane.
“Viktor, your cane…” Jayce spoke, holding up one broken half of the aid.
“Oh,” Viktor gasped. “That is rather unfortunate…” He was still clutching onto the desk, and Lyra could see his leg faltering.
“It’s alright, I can help you get back to your room.” Jayce immediately turned to Viktor, but Lyra grabbed his arm to stop him. The two men looked down at them in confusion but they just smiled and started moving towards Viktor.
“Won’t be necessary! I’ve got at least a temporary solution.” Lyra reached for the back of their chair and opened a latch. With a small hiss, a tiny compartment opened, holding what at first glance was just a golden cube. Lyra pressed the button at the top and a series of clicks followed, releasing a cane decorated with intricate carvings of flowers and butterflies.
“No, no I can’t–” Viktor stuttered, a slight pink tinge covering his cheeks. “I can’t take that from you.” Despite all his floundering, Lyra just smiled at him and held the cane out for him.
“You can because I’m offering it. Besides, I haven’t been using it much as of late. Legs just don’t wanna cooperate with me most of the time.” They laughed, even though they knew other people didn’t find those kinds of things funny. But Viktor…Viktor gave a small huff, a tiny smirk rising on his face. “It’s yours until you get a new one. People like us gotta stick together, right?” Lyra laughed again. And this time, Viktor reached out and accepted the gift.
Tug. It pulled so hard Lyra almost lurched forward in their chair. They glanced down, their hand on one end of the cane and Viktor’s on the other, and they realized. It led Lyra to him. So…possibly a new friend after all. Or maybe two? There was another tug in Jayce’s direction as he was now talking to Professor Heimerdinger and Councilor Medarda. Not as strong as the one pulling them to Viktor, but it was noticeably intense.
_______________
It wasn’t even a week before there was a knock at Lyra’s door. They barely heard it, having been singing along to a song playing on a phonograph a friend had gifted them. But they shouted to whoever it was that they would be right over and started pushing themself across their living space towards the door.
“Viktor!” they shouted gleefully, not expecting to see him again so soon. Notably, he had a new cane of his own. “Got a new one, I see.” They moved back a bit to let the door swing open wider, revealing the man more. Dressed casually this time, in slacks and just a button-down shirt devoid of his usual vest they’d noticed him wearing around the academy.
“Yes. I came to give this back to you, along with my thanks. You didn’t have to do that, you know.” He held out Lyra’s cane, now collapsed back into a cube. They weren’t entirely surprised that he’d figured out how to get it to fold back in on itself.
“I did it because I wanted to, Viktor, not because I had to,” they corrected warmly, smiling. Lyra took the cane back and hid it away in its compartment in their wheelchair then turned back to Viktor with a sigh. “Like I said, I don’t use it much anyway. Every now and then I go through these periods where my legs are even more useless than normal, and this is one of those times. I’m sure you understand…” they trailed off, glancing down to his right leg. The slightly off-balance angle it was in.
“Right, well… Yes, um– You’re right,” he stumbled, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. Lyra’s face blossomed red in embarrassment.
“Oh shit I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to assume or anything.” They moved back even more, creating further distance between the two of them. “Sorry, we barely know each other, and that’s not something you say to a stranger–”
“It’s alright,” Viktor reassured, shifting his weight slightly. “We didn’t get properly acquainted among all the chaos that night. I’m Viktor. Formerly Professor Heimerdinger’s assistant, now partners with Jayce on Hextech.” He held out his free hand to shake, but Lyra stared at him in awe.
“You convinced the council to let you continue with your research? That’s incredible! I–ahem,” they cleared their throat, taking the hand offered. A noticeably rough, calloused hand. “I’m Lyra. Don’t have any fancy titles, I’m just a researcher.” Now it was Lyra’s turn to awkwardly rub at the back of their neck, suddenly feeling inferior. Viktor was well-known around the academy. Quiet, kept a low profile, but people talked. Lyra was just another easily forgotten face among the rest of the academy. Well, save for the fact that they’re the only person using a wheelchair in this whole place. And the upper class, perfect, people of Piltover tend to stare.
“And yet…a medical science student who has knowledge about magic,” he pressed, their hands still tethered together. Tug. “Tell me, how does someone in your area of expertise learn of such things?” Tug. Lyra almost lurched forward again. It made them stutter, completely unprepared for how strong this pull of theirs seemed to get whenever Viktor was around. This is just getting weird now.
“Come in,” Lyra urged, looking around the hallway. “I don’t like speaking about this in the open.” Amusement lit up in their growing smirk as Viktor’s previous interrogative stare started to crumble. They backed further into their living space, allowing the man to take his first steps inside, then closed the door behind him. Wordlessly Lyra led him over to a table and urged him to sit before going into the small kitchen to grab two glasses of water. Unfortunately for them, their glasses suited for company were up on the higher shelves.
Lyra grumbled and clicked the breaks on their chair into place. With a deep breath, they placed their right foot onto the floor, followed quickly by the left. But the pain only ever came when they truly stood on both feet. Their hips cried out, muscles screaming and shooting pain up their spine. Instantly Lyra’s right hand shot out for the counter to keep their balance, the left hand reaching for the cupboard.
“Please, you don’t have to do this on my account,” Viktor pleaded softly from the table. Lyra just waved him off with their left hand after opening the cupboard.
“It’s okay,” they sighed, gritting their teeth. “Just sucks that past me didn’t think to move these to a lower shelf I could grab from my chair. Happens every time,” they laughed halfheartedly, grasping one glass in their left hand. It met the counter with a soft clink and Lyra quickly moved to grab a second, ignoring the pain. Their right arm was starting to shake.
Lyra sank back into their chair with an uneven sigh once they’d gotten the second glass down from the shelf. The metal creaked softly with the sudden crash of weight. One stabilizing breath, followed by another, then another, before they grabbed the glasses once again and filled them with water bringing them over to the table. Lyra made a conscious effort to not fully take in Viktor’s look of concern.
“Ah, now to answer your question.” Lyra picked up a glass and took a long drink, trying to soothe their nerves. They watched Viktor, who was eyeing them right back, both hands clasped around his glass, brows furrowed and eyes narrowed. “My parents are–I mean were–mages. I–”
“‘Were?’” He repeated. Those amber eyes shot back open and stared at Lyra in thinly veiled shock.
“They’re alive! Just…retired. Smaller magic to keep my mom’s garden healthy and the occasional house repair made easy,” Lyra explained, hands waving in an effort to reassure Viktor that no grief was required on his part. And they watched as he visibly deflated and let out a small sigh.
“That’s good. Very good.” He took a sip of his water, his other hand gripped hard on the handle of his cane. Thinking. “So you grew up with magic, and yet you come to a place of science? Why?” On instinct, Lyra glanced down at their legs. Tuned back into the constant ache in their back. Viktor seemed to catch on to the gesture, his lips downturned. “I see,” he muttered.
“My parents aren’t versed in the kind of magic that could heal me. At least, it’s not things they’re able to perform. Temporary assistance? Sure, they can do that, but nothing that lasts more than a few hours. And by the time these problems manifested, their other friends who had the needed knowledge were either missing or dead.” Lyra clutched harder onto the glass. “And before you ask,” they started, seeing the obvious question on Viktor’s lips. “What I did the other night? Child’s play compared to what I’d need to master to fix what’s wrong with me.”
“And so you study medical science at least partially out of a desire to find alternate solutions to your problem.” Lyra’s head snapped up, their eyes wide. Viktor just shrugged. “It’s what I would do. But! That brings me to my next question for you, Lyra.” Tug. A rush of heat filled their face. “Would you like a job?” Lyra nearly knocked their glass over.
“What?!” Their heart was racing, but Viktor stayed perfectly collected. He was even smirking. Tug.Tug. Tug. What kind of job could he possibly be offering and why would the pull be getting harder–oh. “You want someone with magical knowledge for the Hextech project,” Lyra concluded aloud. Viktor nodded. “Does Jayce know you’re coming to me with this offer?” For a second time, Viktor faltered, blushing and looking away, both hands now fiddling with his cane.
“We both wanted someone working with us who understands runes, so we decided together that we should ask if you’d like to join our project.” Even as his words drew on, he refused to make eye contact. Tug.
“For all the ‘we’ and ‘our’ thrown into that, you’re the only one here,” they teased, and that finally made Viktor look back at them. Then they laughed, brushing a stray hair out of their face. “I’m just fucking with you, Viktor. You can calm down. But, um, sure! It’ll definitely be helpful to the two of you to have me around. Just…keep me out of the hullabaloo, alright? I’m not exactly built for public appearances.” Lyra shrank into their chair.
“I understand,” Viktor muttered in response. “I’m not, eh, enthusiastic about public gatherings either, Lyra. Jayce can handle that part of the job. But you agree, yes? You’ll work with us?” he urged, holding his cane tight to his chest for just a moment. Then he cleared his throat and offered his hand once more. This time as an offer of agreement. Lyra clutched his hand in theirs, ignoring the shivers down their spine and chalking it up to another surge of nerve pain.
“You’ve got yourself a deal, Viktor.” The tug returned yet again, but this time it felt…more solid? It didn’t pull as hard as it had before, but there was something more palpable about it. Every nerve lit up and goosebumps formed along their arms. Whatever it was, maybe it was saying that this was the correct course to be on. That this choice they’d made was the right one.
_________________
It hardly took any time for the news to spread. When Lyra passed by, people still stared, but there was something different. Some people retained their barely contained looks of confusion, a few giving them looks of downright disgust. In some regard, Lyra couldn’t blame them. It wasn’t public knowledge what their involvement in Hextech was, mostly for their own protection. Jayce, Viktor, and even Professor Heimerdinger were all adamant that Lyra’s magical abilities would be kept under wraps. So for all these stuck-up gawkers knew, Lyra went from being a crippled medical student to a mad scientist.
The passing glares were worse when Viktor was there too. But Viktor just–didn't seem to notice. Then again, he hardly ever made eye contact with anyone, either reading a book or keeping his eyes on the route ahead. The man simply kept moving forward.
But when the trio was together in the lab, they were nigh unstoppable. Jayce was quickly drafting ideas for the first inventions with Hextech, Viktor practically lived next to the blackboard, and Lyra was always busy translating runes and documenting what each was for. How to string them together into commands. First on the docket, to both Lyra and Viktor’s displeasure, was creating something that would purely benefit Piltover. A way to utilize Jayce’s acceleration rune.
“Your notes are fascinating, Lyra,” Viktor spoke, breaking the relative silence of the lab. Lyra had been studying some tomes their parents sent over, copying down rune combinations to later test on Hextech. They turned, cheeks painted slightly pink, to see Viktor sitting in his own chair holding one of their notebooks.
“Thanks, Viktor! I've been trying to be a bit more innovative in my approach to the runes lately, and–”
“Oh, not that! Though that is also coming along beautifully. No.” He closed the book, rising from his chair to bring both it and himself over to Lyra. “These notes on neurological medicine are incredible! I admit, a bit over my head at times, but they're quite the read.” Viktor reopened the book and set it on the table, pointing out a passage Lyra recognized instantly. Detailed notes on several sensitive nerve centers in the human body, along with an intricate diagram they drew themself. Their blush grew deeper when they recalled the night they tested these nerve centers on their own body. Why, of all things, was he going through their personal medical research journals? Better yet, why the hell did Lyra have the bright idea of bringing them into the lab?
“I…” they stammered, remembering massaging specific points to stimulate pleasure in places they normally associated with pain. Of nights spent sighing in relief when they could finally curl up on their bed with minimal aches. “Why are you reading that? It's not relevant to Hextech.”
“Maybe not now, but if we continue to refine the crystals, then we could get closer to helping people, not just providing technology to the council.” There was an edge to his voice. His accent somehow curled roughly over his words. “And your research could end up being very useful in that goal, Lyra.” Their fingers twitched over the way he pronounced their name now. The cold professionalism had left him weeks ago, replaced now by a soft sense of familiarity. Something about it started to send shivers down their spine.
“I originally wrote those notes as ideas for heightened massage therapy. Possibly even acupuncture,” they explained, fingers brushing over their messy annotations along the margins. Personal accounts of how effective the techniques were at relieving pain. “I'd love for them to be used in actual medicine someday, though. I just don't see how it's applicable to Hextech. Augmentation is outside my abilities, so I wanted to keep to more practical methods.”
“I understand,” Viktor replied, his voice sounding like he was miles away. “How did you test these theories, by the way? There are mentions of a test subject but no name is given. Did they want to stay anonymous?” Lyra's hand tightened harshly on their pen.
“Testing on your friends again?” Jayce spoke up from the other side of the table, a lighthearted laugh coloring his tone. Lyra shrank further in on themself. They did that sometimes. Hell, they've even done some tests on Jayce. One day they had him run around the lab and had checked his vitals every few laps to take some notes on his physiology. Something they needed for a meeting with other researchers. When all their other friends were busy, who else was better to ask than their new business partner who seemed to explode with joy at the mere suggestion of being helpful?
“I tested them on myself,” they answered sheepishly. Lyra wanted to hide. They heard a page turning and damn near all the blood drained from their face. “Most people shy away from me under normal circumstances. And even though my testing wasn't sexual in nature I wasn't comfortable asking my friends if they'd want to volunteer.” Every now and then, on particularly bad days, they still used those methods on themself. Stimulating nerves in their hips, legs, and what parts of their back they could reach to feel something other than pain for once.
“Lyra!” Jayce gasped, hand to his chest in dramatic fashion. Said researcher shrank into their wheelchair just a little more. “Who knew your research could be something so scandalous! But really, you couldn't ask for any help on it? From anyone?”
Lyra sighed, feeling impossibly embarrassed, but now needing to prove a point. They unlocked their brakes and turned around to face him, but at enough of an angle that Viktor could see as well.
“Jayce, my dear friend, you look at me and tell me if you'd be comfortable with me touching you here.” Lyra locked the brakes again then leaned back in their chair and pushed their feet down to the floor so their hips were sticking out more than usual. Ignore the pain. Their right hand slid down to the edge of their pelvis, right around the femoral head and neck. Naturally, uncomfortably close to the genitals. “Or here,” they said, moving that same hand down to about the mid-thigh. It briefly traced down the femoral artery, one of the most sensitive areas of the human body. One of the few ways Lyra could momentarily relieve their own discomfort at the end of a long day. Even if it was only a tiny modicum of relief.
Jayce just stared at them, eyes moving back and forth between Lyra's face and their hand, his face as red as a tomato. Lyra removed their hand and relaxed back into their chair with a huff. Point proven. Even if it is purely for scientific purposes, people just aren't comfortable with it.
“These notes make more sense now,” Viktor mumbled, still thumbing through the pages. Lyra didn't think their blushing could get any worse, but the further rush of blood proved them wrong. “But they worked, yes? Your notes in the margins mention feelings of relief. ‘Subject experienced expected endorphin release, followed by immediate muscle relaxation and increased range of mobility,’” he read from the page.
“It does work. Really well, I might add.” There was a slight tremble to their hands resting in their lap. Uneasy about potentially discussing this with their friends. Their partners. “The only thing I haven't been able to do is fiddle with the nerves in my upper back and shoulders. Can't reach, and, again, not super comfortable asking my friends to do it.”
“You haven't gone to any doctors about it?” Jayce asked, now stepping away from his work, concern painted across his face. “If it helps, you should seek it out.” So sincere, sweet, and caring. Just like him, Lyra had come to learn. They shook their head with a smile.
“Doctors have always been a rough topic for me since all this started,” they gestured vaguely down to their legs. “Most didn’t believe my pain was even real until I noticeably started to lose mobility. Plus…I don’t wanna be treated like an experiment by the friends who do understand this sort of stuff. It’s hard enough to get people to look past my chair in Piltover.” Lyra moved over to Viktor and grabbed the book, stealing his attention away from it for the last time. They flipped to a specific page and started reading aloud. Notes about discomfort in certain areas and not knowing if it's due to the “subject's” physiology or just the human body in general. Pain made even worse by applying pressure to areas that should be fine to touch. Unknown if this is due to the subject's condition.
“I could help you– At least…with your back,” Jayce added quickly with his hands waving about, laughing awkwardly. Lyra wanted to explode. When they looked over at Viktor he was holding back laughter. Bastards, both of them.
“Jayce, we have more important things to be working on, and–”
“As if you're not a huge part of this project?” he pushed. “We're partners. We want to help people. Why the hell wouldn't I want to help you? Either of you?” He glanced between Lyra and Viktor, both of them shrinking and shying away from the eye contact. “Come on, at least let me try?” Before Lyra could say anything to protest, their notebook was snatched away.
Jayce flipped through the pages, turning back until he found what he was looking for. Lyra could just barely make out the hand-drawn diagram they'd made with all their little notes on the sides. Lyra turned back to Viktor, who just gave them a look of sympathy.
“Ugh, you're not gonna let this go, are you?” Lyra asked, hand on their temple. The man just nodded, smile so wide it was like he was sparkling. Lyra sighed. “Fine. Help me get on the table, will you?” They pushed their chair towards the center of the room, to the table that usually held prototypes and spare parts. For once it was clean, save for a few stray pages of notes that, from the looks of them, should be filed away as discarded.
They locked the brakes again and sat their palms on the table for support before lifting themself onto their feet. Immediate pain shot through their back, focused on the right side. It was pointless now to hide their whines and groans of pain around their partners. The two men had seen them struggling around the lab enough, moaning in pain late into the night on particularly rough days. Shifting every few minutes in their chair to soothe what they would uselessly hope was just a strained muscle. Jayce and Viktor had bore witness to their struggles on many late nights in the lab.
Jayce lifted them by the waist and helped them get their legs fully up onto the table. Another shock of pain when they tried to fold their legs into at least a somewhat comfortable sitting position. It had been getting so much worse these last couple of days.
Without another word, they started unbuttoning their shirt. “It'll make it easier for you to see my shoulder blades,” they said in response to the shocked gasps. Granted, they were still covered by a simple wrap, but they could understand the shock. Lyra closed their eyes and let the shirt fall around their waist, steeling themself. Their heart was hammering away in their chest.
“Okay,” Jayce sighed, setting the notebook on the table to Lyra's right. “I'll start with your mid back, alright?” Though he did finally seem nervous, Lyra appreciated the warning. They hummed and nodded their head. In front of them, they heard Viktor's cane hitting the floor and felt the warmth of his presence almost too close for comfort. Great. Observers on both sides right after saying they didn't want to feel like an experiment.
Lyra flinched when his hand first met their back. It paused for a moment, fingers splaying slightly before his thumb put a bit of pressure between two ribs. The reaction was immediate, Lyra surging forward with tightly shut eyes, grimacing. Their hand went to brace against their thigh and squeezed hard. But then, Jayce put more pressure behind his movements, and the pain turned into a lovely release of tension.
“Was that bad or good?” Viktor asked. Lyra's eyes shot open and they stared at him with what they knew were slightly unfocused eyes. Jayce's movements had paused in the time it took them to answer.
“Good,” they sighed. Lyra turned their head just enough to see Jayce in their periphery. “Keep to my right side, that's what hurts the most right now. Please,” they added before turning back around.
“I can do that. Just–tell me if I hurt you, alright?” Jayce started returning the pressure and Lyra nodded, a sigh slowly releasing from their mouth as they tried to relax.
The whole thing blurred into a dance of Lyra trying to control their reactions so they didn't suddenly bend forward. Their eyes and mouth were screwed shut and their hands balled into fists. It was only when Jayce pressed the base of his palm into Lyra's side that they doubled over on near instinct, mouth dropping open and making a sound that towed the line between anguish and ecstasy. They sucked in deep breaths through gritted teeth, reaching for Jayce's hand that had stopped and motioned for him to continue. Nerves all the way down to their toes lit up. Nearly kicked poor Viktor out of muscular reflex.
“You're doing wonderfully, Lyra,” he reassured. Lyra found themself looking into his delicate amber eyes, sympathy and apology in their gaze for almost kicking him. “No need to apologize. It's good that your reflexes are kicking in. Maybe Jayce isn't as bad at this as I thought he'd be.” His laugh was damn near infectious, yet Lyra couldn't bring themself to echo it. Too afraid any noise that could come out of their mouth would be embarrassing.
“Oh I'm sorry, do you wanna try, Viktor? Or are you taking notes over there?” Jayce threw right back. That at least got a chuckle out of Lyra.
Viktor tapped his index finger against his chin. “Ah yes, perhaps I should be taking notes. After all, this will help with Lyra's research.” If only Lyra had the muscle control to smack him for that sassy tone of his. They thought about it, watching him reach for the notebook, taking a pen out of the pocket of his vest. Just reach out and give his hand a good whack– “And don't worry, Lyra, you're not an experiment to us. At least not for me, I can't speak for Jayce,” Viktor laughed, his eyes drifting over to Jayce for just a moment before focusing back on Lyra, who suddenly had misty eyes.
Yank.
Lyra folded over the table, straining their hips with the position. But strangely, it didn't hurt like they were expecting it to. No. No, it felt…normal. The way it felt to stretch on a day they could just walk around with their cane. Manageable.
“Lyra! Are you alright?!” Jayce came around to their front, helping them sit straight again. Viktor grabbed onto their hand.
“Yeah. Yeah, I'm–”
“Did I hurt you?” He ran his hands to their shoulders, squeezing softly. Viktor gave their hand rhythmic soothing rubs with his thumb.
“No, Jayce you didn't do anything wrong.” Lyra rolled their shoulders, still feeling that tug in their chest. It had calmed down a bit but they could still feel it pulling them forward. Into what, they hadn't the foggiest idea.
“Then what was it?” Viktor slid his hand to grasp Lyra's wrist. “Your pulse is elevated. Endorphins?” Lyra shook their head, now clutching at their chest. It was still pulling. What was it pulling towards? Viktor? Jayce? Something else they couldn't see? Their eyes darted around the room in the hope that something would stand out; that it would be made obvious what this thing was pointing them towards like some kind of magical compass.
“Yeah,” they sighed, internally smacking themself for the lie. “Yeah, I think it's just reflexes or something. Sorry.” It felt awful to lie, but they just didn't know if explaining all that was a good idea at the current moment. They didn't even know what it meant yet. And though Viktor and Jayce are brilliant, this felt like too much to put on them with all the Hextech mystery they've been working on. Especially with their proposal for the Hexgates due in a few days. This conversation can happen later.
“Describe the sensation, please, so I can add it to your notes,” Viktor prodded, his words gentle as he finally dropped their wrist. In a flash, his expression turned bashful, handing over the notebook and his pen. “Unless you'd rather do it yourself. You're the one who works in this field, after all.” Oh. Oh, that's…cute. Viktor readjusted his stance, his cane clanking against the floor. Lyra smiled softly and pushed the notebook and pen back towards him.
“You can do it, I don't mind. It'll be helpful when we get to the point of helping people, anyway. You should know this stuff too.” Lyra moved their legs, completely taken aback by how easy the whole ordeal was. It wasn't even an ordeal. A shocked gasp left them involuntarily, which was unsurprisingly taken as a reaction of pain. Jayce, concerned, offered his hand, but they pushed it away. Keep stretching, Lyra waited for the debilitating pain to start.
But it never did.
Lyra did their best to not use medical jargon when dictating notes for Viktor to write down. Moved nearly to tears due to the sheer fluidity of movement, they struggled to communicate between tiny hiccups. Every now and then there were still pinches and small spasms in their spine, but it wasn’t immobilizing. They'd have to refine the notes later, add more details, but for now Lyra just wanted to soak in this rare moment of peace in their body.
Lyra set their feet down on the floor and waited. Waited as they put more weight on their legs for the discomfort to become unbearable. There was a hint of it. Even on the best of days it never truly went away. But in this moment, it was doable. For the first time in weeks, it was bearable. They let go of the table. With the first step their right hip stubbornly creaked, creating a stutteringly slow creep forward. Lyra's hand gripped their thigh to ease a slight cramp that rang throughout their joints.
“My cane, please,” they urged. Viktor offered his hand while Jayce went to get their cane out from its compartment. Lyra took Viktor's hand with a slight grimace. He gave them a light squeeze, which they reciprocated as they took deep breaths. In and out. Focus on moving forward. One step at a time. Left foot barely lifting from the floor and only sliding a few inches, testing the waters. It was…it was fine!
“How do you get this fucking thing open again?” Jayce huffed from behind, his steps hurried. Lyra was pulled with Viktor when he turned. So close, they could feel his exasperated sigh.
“Push the button, Jayce.” Viktor reached for the cane, which Jayce reluctantly handed over. Pushing the button on the side, the gears inside the thin framework immediately started clicking. “Here,” he said softly.
“Thanks,” Lyra breathed. With a more sturdy support, they tested their weight on their right side. All through their right leg and hip, there was discomfort, but it was tolerable. Infinitely more preferable to the unyielding zaps of pain they'd been having lately. Two more steps. Turn back towards the table. They caught Viktor's eyes and they were so, so bright. Happy. The smile on his face was one of the brightest they'd ever seen on the man. Reminiscent of the expression he wore on the night they met, floating between sparks of magic.
Lyra started laughing. Real, genuine laughter. Twirling now with the assistance of their cane. They even did little jumps, completely overtaken with joy and relief. They walked over to Jayce, tears in their eyes, and enveloped him in a tight hug. Or, as tightly as they could with just one arm wrapped around him. And it was quickly returned, both of his arms circling their waist, rocking them softly side to side.
“Thank you so much, Jayce.” The pull was back, and uncharacteristically warmer than usual. Snug. It felt like…something locking into place.