#Meanwhile when Viktor is handed Naph

[goddessofroyalty]

i went through the zaun family au tag (plus a little of work/life balance but i prefer the former lol sorry!) and i dont think youve gotten into many details of how jayce and viktor cope with a newborn baby? clearly viktor wants to go back to the lab asap, and he does carry naph around in a sling, but it's not something he can do like. the next day after popping out that kid.

(admittedly i just want more of jayvik + their baby 😔 you manage to get them soooo right)

Glad you've enjoyed it.

I don't think I've rambled much about Jayce and Viktor with their newborn (more about once things have settled).

Because we are basing this in Zaun Family I'm going to stay with a comparison. I think where Silco during those early days after the birth kind of curls around the newborn to the point where even Vander has to convince him to be able to see them and that only getting more intense the worse the labor and delivery are, Viktor during those early days kind of dissociates and leaves the baby caring to Jayce and it goes on for longer/is more intense the worse the labor and delivery are. He's in a least a decent amount of pain, has gone through an intense experience, and hasn't been able to (and still can't) return to his lab to like 'ground' himself with his work. I've heard some people talk about feeling like their body wasn't their own in those very early hours/days after giving birth and I think Viktor falls into that camp.

I do think both Jayce and Viktor knew that Jayce would probably be doing the bulk of the baby caring in the days immediately following the birth. They didn't have a sit down conversation about it but they know Viktor will need to rest and recover and Jayce kind of needs to do it to help his own feelings of uselessness throughout the pregnancy. It does frustrate Viktor because they're meant to be partners and right now Jayce is doing most/all the work while he's basically stuck in bed recovering but also... Viktor did all(/most - Jayce was a very attentive support through the pregnancy) of the work to that point. Viktor doesn't do nothing but at the start all he can kind of do is hold Naph while Jayce organises things.

Obviously as Viktor heals and is able to do more (and return to his lab - that probably feels like a turning point day of being Himself again for him) the dissociation fades and they more find their rythm together and it does end up being that more equal split that I've talked about previously.

Ximena also probably basically moves in with them the last days before Naph is born and for that early period while they are adapting. But she is very much the Good example of a grandparent moving in when the baby's born. She's there if they need her but is mostly dealing with the day-to-day life stuff (you know organizing food, doing the dishes, emptying the bins) so they don't have to think about it while they adapt to life with a baby (and while Viktor is kind of out of action).

[goddessofroyalty]

While Naph is more physically and Amaranthine has more peronality like Viktor, Blitzcrank ends up the most like him. Wanting to help the people of zaun in their own way snuck around their parents and moves out of home when their teenagerish. Silco curses Viktor saying he'll go though what he did with him but definitely didn't want Viktor to have the pain of their child leave them without a word.

I do feel like saying that Silco is being a bit dramatic about Viktor moving out to Piltover. Like he's complaining about Viktor left them and they never get to see him and meanwhile half the time Viktor is doing his homework in Silco's office because he finds it hard to concentrate without the scent of second-hand smoke soaked into every surface around him.

Although the situation with Blitzcrank is similar. Like he is still in Zaun, he is operating out of Zaun. A place that Viktor is also often working out of. They interact a lot of times he's just not still living with his parents. He is also effectively a mechanical-robot so like 'teenager' is very loosely applied here. Viktor's still complaining that one of his children have left him so young and how unfair it is.