#arcanacontained

[byteing]

'You have pretty eyes.' Jayce blurted out. He felt his face flush as he registered the words that barrelled out of his mouth unprompted. Talis could choose to blame exhaustion of late nights in the lab, or the fact watching paint dry would have been more stimulating than listening to Salo yap for a full ninety minutes about his next party gala and self-importance - an item not on the agenda for the day's meeting, which Cassandra had cut short as they were going over time; or the fact he was tispy from the whisky he had knocked back to drown out the memory of Salo's voice. All excuses. Perhaps the combination of alcohol and exhaustion had removed any mental filter Jayce would use day-to-day (not that he had much of one to begin with) and let his subconscious thoughts slip out unchallenged. Talis hummed softly. He could get lost in those pools of liquid gold for eternity, and he wouldn't complain.

The eyes in question sparked as Viktor laughed—a short heh! like it had been chased out of him rather than voluntary—and he leaned in slightly, peering at each of Jayce’s eyes in turn like he was checking for a concussion. He was smiling. It was an endearing compliment—Jayce had a way with those—but not one he would ever have expected, and a prime opportunity to gently tease his partner for having given it in the first place.

“Do I,” he asked dryly, mouth still curled at the corners. “How much did you drink? Did your brain leak out of your ears in that meeting?”

He leaned back in his chair and coughed, turning his face away to cover it as he did so. That had been happening more and more, lately; whenever something made him laugh, or even a little exerted, his lungs threw a fit about it. At this point it was routine.

“I have been told,” said Viktor after a moment, eyeing Jayce sideways, “that they are almost the same colour as yours.”

It was difficult to tell if it was a compliment or a simple observation—but the way Viktor swung his chair slightly and used his good leg to gently push Jayce’s, in the same way someone else might have knocked their shoulders together companionably, said it was likely more of the former.

[valiantthearts]

@arcanacontained - About six months after the Piltover-Zaun war, Jayce had recovered in his physical body again. Though no matter what he and Viktor attempted with the arcane, he had a permanent limp from his time in the future - noticeable when someone is in close proximity. The gates across which created a physical border and check points between Piltover and Zaun pulled down, removed and now seemed to be unguarded.

Almost twilight, Jayce walked along the Bridge of Synergy, his head kept down dressed in common Zaunite clothing – dark grey leathers and cloth, including his gloves. Only a small gold clasp around the waist, buckled at the right hip was the same as many others at Viktor’s commune wore was the only colour in his outfit. He had the urge to visit Caitlyn since he regained his physical consciousness, much to Viktor’s discomfort and guilt. A fall from grace, Jayce knew in his gut this he had lost his status as a Helical, and was perceived as a Hyploid if he hadn’t been declared deceased.

Eyes flickered as he walked up to the side of the Kiramman residence, pressed against the stone; the large floor to ceiling window of Caitlyn’s study had it’s green curtains drawn, the fire was out and gloom hung overcast. Talis frowned, tapping the bottom corner of the window – a stone wiggled loose and slipped out the lower pane of glass.

Breath held, he squeezed through the narrow gap, pushing the curtain aside and into the study. Swallow breaths through his nose, he carefully replaced the glass and put the curtain back into place. Feet shuffled, he sat on the bench across from the fire, eyes on the spiral staircase. Brow furrowed as his eyes adjusted to the darkness and his focus turned to the pinboard on the under the stairs – a list of names down the far side.

The first seven names at the top the list, including Sevika. With “Council” in red ink scrawled in Caitlyn’s handwriting down the side. Near the bottom “Viktor” in the same red ink and circled with a question mark next to it, along with his own, written over twice or thrice probably as the ink ran low. What did all of this mean?

Strode across the room, a finger traced the other papers tacked to the board. The word enforcers struck out on one page with “WARDENS” written in block capitals and notes on how to ease the dismantling of the caste system. His eyes narrowed at a newspaper article attached to the lower edge of the board – a declaration of the new Council members and new structures of order.

‘Hmm.’ He mused, absent-minded fingers fidgeted with the buckle at his hip.

It had taken Caitlyn a long time to heal. Her left eye was severely injured, causing her to lose her sight completely. She stood there in her room, staring at the mirror, but only one good eye. Her other eye was devoid of the black iris, now just blue and slightly milky all over, and a giant scar across the eye itself. It also extended from her eyebrow, along with her upper eyelid and down her lower eyelid. There was a hint of amusement in some ways that Caitlyn had a match eyebrow scar to offset Vi’s; despite that, she struggled with the fact she had blind spots now.

A breath left her lips as she dropped the eyepatch onto the table, not needing it at home. Her fingers brushed over the gold and white cane she had been using, though she hadn’t needed it for the last month now. Still, her leg would ache from it, taking so long to heal. An external stabilizing fixator fitted around her leg, which aided her ability to walk and no longer needing the cane, and it was the last path for her leg to fully heal. Ambessa had shattered her leg. That it took months to heal and ensure the bones would be in the right place.

Vi had left for dinner, picking up some of their favorite food at the restaurant down the street and picking up some chai teas as well. Caitlyn had offered for the chef to make something, but Vi wanted to treat them instead. Naturally, Caitlyn just laughed at the thought and had given her a kiss goodbye til she got back.

A click from the far room caused Caitlyn’s head to swivel sharply and her eyes narrowed. She parted her mouth slightly, taking in a deep scent. The smell came from the underground, dirt mixed with sweat. Zaunite perhaps? Immediately, Caitlyn grabbed her hextech rifle from the corner of her room and slotted a bullet into the chamber and traveled quietly down the hall. With her hearing affected by the explosions and tinnitus, she narrowed her blue eye in disdain for the blind spot, choosing to focus more on listening.

Her paw pad palm slowly pushed open the door to her study, the door silent as she slipped inside. Her eyes fell upon the long dark brown hair, a man leaning over her board and looking over everything she had been working on. Bare feet silently moved against the ground, thanks to the paw pads on her feet that made her a deadly silent predator. Her blue hair had been up in a ponytail as she lifted her rifle up against her shoulder and ready position. The material he wore looked ratty and old, again something similar she saw in the lower cities of Piltover or the sumps of Zaun. Yet the golden touches did not match the ratty leather and cloth.

Immediately, she presses the muzzle of the rifle up against the back of the man’s head. The snow leopard fur on her shoulders bristled as she hissed in warning. “One false move, and I will blow your head clean off. You should know better than to enter the Prince of Kiramman’s house,” Caitlyn threatened, using a title Piltover had given her (even though she didn’t want it). However, there was merit and power in the title and enough to draw fear in her enemies.

“Slowly turn around and face me. Who the bloody hell are you and why did you break into my house?” Caitlyn demanded as she held her finger against the trigger ready to reach in a second.

[fishymedic]

@arcanacontained continued from x

Was nearly a breath of fresh air, to see hands sign instead of words being spoken. Even given the circumstances for it. It's fine, moved his hands easily in response to the explanation. Understanding as watched; the quiet usually unnoticed assessment he always did on his people concluded within seconds. Fluid, quick little unzip of bag and extending of a piece of cloth at the blood. Without any unsettling staring or anything other than relaxed body language. As if it were just an stretch, or somebody sneezing because of temperature changes. Acknowledging nod of his head at the gratitude. They don't handle the whole mortality, or different than thing very well. Signed his hands in response; a little disapproval was only fair after how long his day already had been. He would have noticed and kept an eye out regardless. In fact his brain certainly hadn't factored in possible connections or status into account. Considering for a moment, Who is he by the way? He'd only heard the name in passing and none of the gossip had any context. Just names he didn't know. To a face he probably had avoided like he did just about everybody he could. Figured this was probably the one time he could try ask for further information.

[ly-kos]

@arcanacontained said ; -

Viktor frowned, The Herald couldn't yet make sense of the wolf despite using the doctor as a puppet. There was something about Ambessa that intrigued Viktor, her will was one of the strongest he had ever come across in his lifetime and her alone - with or without Reveck's involvement could bring both Piltover and Zaun to their knees.

He was unsure of how the beast's blood what push forward to next stage of evolution, but Merdarda had a fire in her belly that was determined to see the Glorious Evolution through.

The Machine Herald couldn't see into all of Evolved's minds. If he wanted to win this war, he needed Ambessa as an ally. He hummed, he wanted to wolf to witness and experience glory even if Jayce and her daughter stood in their way.

'How far will you take this war, Ambessa, do you want the Glorious Evolution to take out Swain, or is there something more I don't know from your soldiers' minds?' His disembodied voice asked in almost a whisper as his physical body pushed through a metamorphosis.

// ambessa is a woman who's come across many battlefields in her lifetime. the strength that had grown in her chest over all of those fights is one that burns bright.

but what she is as well, in this very moment, is a desperate woman. one who is afraid to lose everything she's gained her entire life.

one who's seen everything crumble in front of her and she's desperately trying to grasp onto anything that is left. whatever there is for her to hold onto, it has proven fruitless. all of the power she'd amassed inside of noxus hadn't been enough, and piltzaun isn't going to rescue her from her own fate either.

she draws a nervous breath. the mention of swain absolutely baffles her and exposes her more than being directly nude would. there is nothing that feels more intrusive than what viktor is doing to the people, but she feels she has had no other choice.

" as far as I need to. " , is her answer, but she rolls her head, tries to put aside her initial confusion and hide just how cornered she'd felt.

" you've missed the mark. " swain is absolutely one of her targets, eventually, but right now, she's got much more pressing threats from the black rose. in some ways, they almost got similar goals. she is not one to throw away a possible ally. " but I commend your attempt at learning my actual motives. "

[nemaline]

what are you the patron saint of? patron saint of blood ⸻ patron saint of the life that flows through our bodies. patron saint of violence. patron saint of love. something that does not watch over but exists within: not for protection but for vitality. there is no passion without a beating heart at its core. when that heart breaks open, someone has to be responsible for what it bleeds.

tagged by: stole from @vandrs tagging: @tachyteliic @arcanacontained @bludcoin @vielets

[hexedevolution]

What Pokémon Type would you specialise in?

Electric Type

Known for their lightning speed, any Electric Type expert needs to be quick on their feet. That doesn't necessarily mean you have to be an Olympic sprinter, just someone who lives their life in the fast lane. You're energetic, and you're never afraid to dive head first into a situation. You're a quick thinker, an amazing problem solver, and you don't slow down for anybody!

Tagged by: @runes-menagerie Tagging: @jynxd (lets go for Silco), @arcanacontained (Jayce), @warwaited (Student), @abhorsenslives (Orianna) and YOU! Yes, YOU!

[metallicshimmerclaws]

Rules

About the Mun:

Charlie, 30+, she/her.

I am neurodivergent (AuDHD) and have physical disabilities so my focus might be hit and miss at times.

I work full-time, I write role play in my free time so activity may be sporadic.

I have 12 years worth of role playing experience under my belt and have been writing for the best part of 20 years.

My squicks that are goats, needles (primarily IV and IO), wasps, bees, spiders.

The mun tag is: out of arcane

Tracking the tag: metallicshimmerclaws

Side blog to arcanacontained

I have been on Tumblr itself since 2013, across multiple fandoms. Some have been friendly and welcoming whilst, others have been toxic and a mess I no longer want to associate with. So far the Arcane role play community has been welcoming.

Rules:

Disabilities, trauma and mental illness will be discussed as themes during role play threads.

If you have any triggers around these or other topics please let me know ahead of time.

I will always reads others’ rules.

As above - I am over 30, therefore I feel uncomfortable with interacting with minors. If you are under 21, this is not the blog for you.

Mature, dark, and horror themes are present. Including but not limited to drug use and cannabilism.

TERFS, homophobias etc do not interact.

No god-modding or meta-gaming.

I am open to plot threads, but are also welcome askbox memes.

Please use text posts for threads, don’t use link posts.

Please read my muse’s about/biography before interacting with them.

Whether this muse is on high or low activity might change without warning, this is for my own mental health.

I have watched both series of Arcane, and is primarily what I am base my muses’ characterisations on plus my own headcanons. As of writing, I have never played League. (I am aware Riot is updating the lore the make Arcane the main canon.)

This blog is not spoiler free.

I do my best to write in third person, past tense.

The askbox is used for interactions between muses.

I use direct messaging for plotting and discussions with other muns.

Mutuals are preferred.

Muse:

Ursula • Biography • (Headcanons and verses are under construction. Biography under continuous construction/a live bio.)

[ask-the-beauties-of-runeterra]

@vi-carious-enforcer

@cup-caitlyn

@uncagedbeast

@arcanacontained

@a-jinxed-life

@mrmisto

@mistressofthefrostguard

@darkseraphscorner

@thedoctornumber11

Hello dear!

Sorry for bothering you, but it's important to remind you to turn off your asks for a few days! Bad things are going to happen on Tumblr soon...

Don t know anything about this but BETTER BE SAFE EVERYBODY!!!!!!

[chaosmultiverse]

'I'm supposed to be the one who protects you from monsters. I'm not supposed to be one.' Warwick sighed, giving Jinx pained expression of guilt.

Fragments of memories long past, swirled in the forefront of his mind. Stood unmoving, the hound of the underground ignored the gnawing urge to throw the young woman around like a ragdoll.

Deep down, she knew, she always had. But on the surface, on top of the water’s glint she refused to gaze down into the truth, into where these words seemed to echo from.

She had been exploring the undercity, finding a new spot to call home. There had been whispers of a monster, a wolf- no a hound within this part of the city, it kept many away but... Somehow she knew that was where she’d be safe.

“...I- Stay a- I...”

There was a brief time in her life where she had been kept away from monsters, she hadn’t been safe from them, no she never could have been truly safe but... Someone had kept it away from her... He who hunts monsters...

“...No one can really stop a monster... Don’t you get that now?“ No one could’ve protected her from the biggest monster in her life... No one.

[byteing]

"Ever wonder where robots come from?" Jayce teased in a gentle tone, he glanced over some blueprints Viktor was scribbling on. He leant over his partner, sneaking in a brief hug before he tugged at a magnifying glass stand to get a closer look at Viktor's designs.

“Ach—“ Viktor made a disgruntled noise as Jayce’s arm wrapped briefly around him, but he was laughing, too: at his partner’s sense of humour, at the realisation he’d been working non-stop (a robot, indeed), and at Jayce’s seemingly inexhaustible supply of affection. Viktor swatted him away, still smiling. He’d never been around anyone so touchy before. His parents had not been warm or tactile people and neither had anyone else he’d ever been close to, which was a short list to begin with. Viktor himself never initiated touch with anyone nor was he particularly receptive to it, but with Jayce he found he didn’t mind. He hadn’t from day one. The first time Jayce had laid a hand on his shoulder, it hadn’t felt surprising or remarkable. He hadn’t been pleased or shocked to be touched. It had simply felt like they’d been doing it all their lives.

He scooted aside slightly to let Jayce look better, the wheels of his chair scraping unpleasantly against the floor. The laboratory was colder than he’d have liked and even Jayce’s brief embrace left points of heat that he could still feel seeping through his clothes, like the man had absorbed the furnace he so often worked in. Perhaps it was the fire that drove him, he thought, then turned away from poetry and back to the science he knew best.

“This robot may need to take a break,” he admitted, referring to himself. “I’ve been looking at it so long it’s stopped making sense to me.” He leaned back in his chair to stretch his arms out, rotating them at the shoulder to try and loosen the stiff muscles there. His joints always felt like they were one wrong move away from dislocating, and sometimes they were, but today there was no trouble. Small mercies.

He watched Jayce from the corner of his eye, then swivelled to him and poked him gently with a pencil. Coming from Viktor, it may as well have been a hug. “Thoughts?”

[arcanacontained]

[Mapped out Directions] - Mobile Navigation 📱 ((Currently being reworked 15/12/24))

[Shuffle the Deck] - Rules

About the Mun:

Charlie, 30+, she/her.

I am neurodivergent and have physical disabilities so my focus might be hit and miss at times.

I work full-time, I write role play in my free time so activity may be sporadic.

I have 11 years worth of role playing experience under my belt and have been writing for the best part of 20 years.

My squicks that are goats, needles (primarily IV and IO), wasps, bees, spiders.

The mun tag is: out of arcane; dealer (mun).

Tracking the tag: arcanacontained

Some of my OC muses I have had for a long time. I have been on Tumblr itself since 2013, across multiple fandoms. Some have been friendly and welcoming whilst, others have been toxic and a mess I no longer want to associate with. So far the Arcane/LOL role play community has been welcoming.

Rules:

Disabilities, trauma and mental illness will be discussed as themes during role play threads. If you have any triggers around these or other topics please let me know ahead of time. I will always reads others’ rules.

As above - I am over 30, therefore I feel uncomfortable with interacting with minors. If you are under 18, I this is not the blog for you.

TERFS, homophobias etc do not interact.

No god-modding or meta-gaming.

I haven’t roleplayed in a while, for about 2-3 years due the pandemic being a thing and Tumblr was put on the back burner until life stabilised. So I apologise if some of my role play knowledge or etiquette has gone out of the window.

I am primarily familiar with Arcane but am reading up on the relevant Champion backstories and other information on the League website. I have never played the game itself. Character canon will follow Arcane and may have some current League of Legends influences. (Update 15 December 2024: I am aware Arcane is supposedly the "main" canon, but will try

This blog is unlikely to be spoiler free, as the fate of the characters currently hangs in the balance at the end of episode 9.

As of writing - Jayce, Viktor and Warwick are tests muses, as this is the first time I have written them.

I have put some of my muses on low activity for the sake of my mental health. Which muses are on high or low activity might change without warning.

Please read a muse’s biography before interacting with them.

I would prefer to plot threads. Askbox prompts are accepted - but do not reblog asks as a thread starter. Please use text posts as thread starters.

I write in third person, past tense with normal formatting. As I don’t have the time I won’t be using icons in threads. A muse’s face claim (if relevant) will be stated in their biography.

Mutuals only please, this is for my own mental health so I know who is who.

Please may asks be kept for in-character interactions between muses. Likewise direct messaging is for discussion, plotting and general chatting between muns.

[Current Hand] - Muses

Number [Card] Name • Epithet.

Blue, OC muse. Red, Canon muse. Purple, Test muse. Active Muse, Low Activity Muse, Inactive Muse, Empty Slot

[THE MAGICIAN] Viktor • The Machine Herald || Information Post || Interaction Call

[JUSTICE] Jayce Talis • The Defender of Tomorrow || Information Post || Interaction Call

[DEATH] Warwick • The Uncaged Wrath of Zaun || Information Post || Interaction Call

[THE STAR] Rio • The Shimmering Piximander of Zaun || Information Post || Interaction Call

[valiantthearts]

There was no sense of calm, only a lethal intent to protect herself. Her leg was almost healed, but anything to it could put her back months of healing. If not for Sett’s encouragement to take her to Ionia, it’s possible she wouldn’t even have a leg to deal with, matching her missing eye. Ionia had found a way to save her eye, even though she was blind to it. But it was more than expected when Piltover’s medical advancements were non-existent. A growl lingered as she pushed the barrel firmly against the back of his skull to remind him of her weapon.

However, the soft comment of the word causes her to falter. Her eyes widen, even the blind one, as she stared down at the dark hair, and as he turned came face to face with a man, she thought was dead. A few blinks came, as she focused on the details of his face. Looking a bit more rugged, those marks on his forehead that matched the arcane, glowing as she had to squint briefly as they glowed.

The grip upon her rifle faltered and dropped it as she took a step back. “Jayce?” Caitlyn’s voice was a bare wisp in the air, disbelief at seeing him standing there. She had conducted massive searches for all those who went missing. Jinx, Vander, Jayce, Viktor, and so many others that were missing in action. One could only assume they were lost to the blast, the sea, or other incidents. Yet here he stood, breathing and alive. “You...”

And then Caitlyn pulled back and punched Jayce in the shoulder. It wasn’t meant to physically harm him, but a sibling reaction of annoyance. “YOU WERE ALIVE THIS WHOLE TIME YOU FUCKING ASS!” And then instantly Caitlyn lunged forward to wrap her arms around him. “You’re alive,” she whispered now as she squeezed him closer, grasping onto his clothing and knowing this wasn’t some illusion or trick of her mind.

After the hug, she leaned back and grasp his shoulders, staring at him. “what happened? Where did you go? What about Viktor? And... and where...” Caitlyn’s questions ran faster in her head than she could express through her lips. Silencing herself with a push of her lips together, she took a breath and closed her eyes for a moment before opening them.

“Can I get you some tea? Would you... stay for a little?”

Jayce froze as the felt the cold metal of Caitlyn's rifle pressed against his head. He had seen her use it on others in the past, but never thought he would be at the firing end of the weapon. His eyes closed for a brief second, as the memory of upgrading and the redesign of the rifle to accommodate the new Hextech bullets crossed his mind’s eye. He inhaled through his nose, hands raised to hold them up near his head. Viktor, I’m sorry. I think I fucked up.

‘Hey Sprout.’ He murmured, the quiet and softness of his tone; deafening in the empty room. Swallowed a lump in his throat, he turned to face his old friend. His forehead settled squarely against the muzzle; the iridescent glow of Viktor’s fingerprints probably blinded Caitlyn, Viktor’s thumbprint on his right temple was the brightest. ‘It’s been a while.’ He hesitated for a brief second, ‘I wasn’t sure whether the front door would be guarded, and I didn’t consider it to be honest. I, I used to method I used to use when we were younger. I, um-.’ Jayce went quiet, not knowing how to talk himself out of this mess – it would usually work with other people, but Caitlyn wasn’t other people. Maybe he shouldn’t have come. Damn it, why did he have the urge to come and assume they could talk like old times?

He was only partially up to date with what had happened since the war, and back in a physical body for four of those months. His leg permanently damaged and by the looks of the situation, his brain too. He exhaled, eyes flickered to look at Caitlyn's waist, he felt his cheek flush. Under usual circumstances, he would fidget, but he grit his feet and forced himself to remain perfectly still. He inhaled and exhaled through his nose, as he waited for Caitlyn to pull the trigger. Information through word of mouth in Zaun was that the numbers of those lost in the war was higher than reported, many pointed the blame in equal amounts at House Kiramman and at Viktor.

Relationships between Piltover and Zaun had begun to heal, whilst underneath Zaun had split in two. Those who had chosen to “side” with Viktor and those who chose to ostracise the commune members. Some had declared him a false prophet who soiled Janna’s name and intended ways of life. Jayce had stood by his partner as Viktor’s guilt ate away at him, half tempted to hide way from the world. The Herald debated on whether reviving all those who had fallen when Evolved as humans again, including the – now, displaced and disfranchised – Noxian soldiers had been the correct choice. The sole individual not yet revived was Huck, his Evolved corpse was still stored away in Jayce’s old Academy lab, if it hadn’t been cleared out and repurposed since.

His brows knitted together in thought, but otherwise remained silent, the cogs in the back of mind started to form words. Was there an appropriate way to apologise, or would Caitlyn be pleased to mount her former friend’s head on a wall?

Eye glanced down further at Caitlyn's feet. Huh, does Cait have toe beans? The dumb thought crossed his mind. That, was not at apology of any sort.

Breath held, Jayce dared to look Caitlyn in the face. Hazel eyes searched for any mercy or way out behind the hetero-chromic eyes. He blinked, the penny rolled down the mental hill before it dropped into the depths below. Are you blind? He almost blurted out as he noticed her left eye, but held his tongue and stared – eyes unfocussed, he prayed for a reprieve.

[hexedevolution]

@arcanacontained continued from here

The Herald moved gracefully across the metal floor, several ringing sounds came from both feet and staff as they clattered with every step. He moved with purpose - with an air of direction and intent. Despite this almost god-like visage, there was a hint of animus in his blank stare.

"You had your chance to speak your piece, Jayce... You chose instead to inflict violence. As is the way with mortality. It is to be toyed with, to be taken at the whim of another. The irony then that you would not respect the choices I had made. I had accepted my inevitable death, and you brought the Hexcore to me. I had chosen to leave and make a true difference in Zaun, and you took me away from that as well. You had the choice to take my invitation and discuss logically, yet you did not. Why are you choices superior to mine? Is it because choice is false."

Still, he approached, towering and intimidating. The third arm that protruded from his back started to flicker and twist, writing runes from nothing. The air crackled around him, from a foreign energy drawn straight from the arcane.

"You failed to destroy the Hexcore when appropriate. You failed to destroy it again at the commune. Fortunately, your failures do not have to become your undoing." The third arm started to speed up, strands of power seeping from it as it moved. The Herald's head tilted ever so slightly.

"So much hatred and pain. You claim to wish to save, yet you look at me with such fury. You had always been so emotional. A flaw. It had brought you nothing but suffering. Something I can absolve if you only listened. It seems you only do so when it benefits you, 'partner'."

The arm had finished its cast, all the canisters locking back into place with rapid ease.

"I am simply providing the necessary jump so humanity and nature can thrive instead of wallowing in insignificance and violent circles. The only one causing pain is you. You killed me. You killed those at the commune by default. Ambessa is just as mistaken, but I am not here to aid her. I am here to aid all. You need to step aside, or embrace progress..."

[byteing]

'I thought I was doing the right thing. I had no idea…I'm sorry.' Jayce apologised, they pair of them were sat on the sofa bed after another of Viktor's "worked beyond fatigued" nights, and Viktor had rolled into an awkward position during the night, being just as fatigued, Jayce had slept through Viktor's screams of pain that would usually wake him. Talis couldn't pinpoint what had gone awry this time, however the guilt was clear in his voice. Hesitant, Jayce reached out as cupped Viktor's hand in his own. He didn't feel any muscle cramps but that didn't negate the near delirium his partner had seemed to be when Jayce first awoke. He opened his arms, giving Viktor the open to lean on him, if Viktor wanted.

'I swear to you. As long as I'm by your side, you'll never be harmed.' He whispered, he wanted to protect Viktor even if the only danger left was Jayce's own idiocy. 'I'll keep you safe.'

“You didn’t do anything wrong,” Viktor muttered, eyes closed. To his great relief, the painkiller he’d taken the moment he could sit up on his own without dry heaving was starting to kick in. If he kept his eyes closed and focused on the lingering pain and its slow withdrawal, he wouldn’t have to think about how humiliating it was to have woken Jayce. It had felt like his spine was being squeezed by a pair of pliers: like his leg was rotting from the inside out, strange shocks of new pain reverberating down it. Now that he was lucid, he suspected a few things: muscle cramps, trapped nerves. But at the time it had felt like he was dying.

He withdrew his hand, flexing the fingers, ashamed of himself. If he had been with anyone else, he would have white-knuckled his way through the pain by now to leave the laboratory and return home just to escape being around anyone.

But Jayce was Jayce and, suspecting his partner needed it more than he did, Viktor let himself lean into him. Not all the way—he pushed Jayce’s arm away gently when it tried to come around him—but enough that his weight was resting against his friend’s shoulder, the top of his head just under Jayce’s jaw. He didn’t open his eyes. Opening them would mean having to look at his surroundings, at Jayce, at the reality that his conditions were finding new and more appalling ways to make him feel out of control of his body.

The quiet murmurs just over his head made him smile, albeit wryly. “You can’t keep me safe from my own body, I fear,” he said, and regretted it. “…But, thank you. I know.” He lifted his head slightly just to thunk it gently against Jayce’s shoulder, like a cat administering a brief headbutt of affection.

[byteing]

Jayce watched as Viktor was on the verge of sleep, at his desk once again. Wordless, he nudged his partner towards a cot - a pull-out sofa bed Jayce had placed in the lab months ago for this exact reason and sat him down onto it. Gentle he placed a pillow under Viktor's back and a softer one under his head. Out of a footlocker kept by the sofa, he pulled out a pile of a thick wool blankets and with the upmost care; tucked Viktor in. With each tuck ensured his back and right leg were supported.

There was a noticeable tipping point between regular tiredness and the deep, awful fatigue that often sank into his bones when he pushed himself too hard. By now, Viktor had mostly learned to recognise that tipping point and stop himself from pushing past it. But then there were nights like tonight, where there was work that needed doing and he wanted to do it, to keep at it, to solve the next set of problems thrown his way, and the scales tilted and tilted under eh, a little tired turned to sitting in an exhausted heap at his a workbench.

Jayce was a mercy on these nights and although Viktor grumbled a little as he leaned on his companion for support, it was more annoyance at himself than with his partner. He ached all over. His right hip felt like it wanted to come out of the socket and his lower back screamed at him until Jayce coaxed him into lying back, at which point it ebbed into a manageable dull roar. All the while, Viktor watched his friend with sleepy golden eyes, half-lidded. Observing the care in his movements, the uncomplaining desire to help. He wondered if Jayce had taken care of someone like this before, his mother perhaps, but then there were blankets shrouding him in wonderful pressure and he was asleep before he could ask.

He drifted in and out for a while and at one point came close to full consciousness when he couldn’t see Jayce near him—but the sound of him moving somewhere behind the sofa calmed him, and he fell quickly back to sleep. Dreams came in vague, slow drifts with little sense: an awkward gathering with investors, Jayce at his side; purple flowers sprouting from Councillor Medarda’s dress during a presentation; a Hextech claw that wouldn’t function no matter how much he tried to improve it. Once or twice he woke up coughing, but it never lasted long and he was always back asleep with no memory of it in seconds.

When he woke, he expected it to still be night time. Instead there was natural light coming through, and birdsong beyond the windows. Viktor, far too warm and comfortable to even consider moving, looked around as best he could. Why did he always sleep better when Jayce was watching over him?

“Jayce?”

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Silent, Jayce poked his head into the lab and saw that Viktor was working, the prototype hexclaw he had demonstrated to Heimerdinger the week prior partially strapped onto one shoulder but otherwise drooped onto the desk. Wordlessly, he placed a small gift wrapped in luxury paper and tied with gold ribbon. The label read in neat cursive: Happy Auld Lang Syne Viktor -J. His partner still focussed on work, he slipped out of the lab the same way he entered.

Perhaps it was a byproduct of being so used to Jayce's presence in the first place that Viktor didn't realise he'd come and gone. His company was such a constant--council meetings and other political obligations notwithstanding--that his coming and going from the lab simply didn't register, not consciously. He was absorbed. Stuck deep in his own mind, forgetting that there was an entire world outside of it.

The sound of fireworks a half-hour later jolted him back into that world with a start. It was an unwelcome reprieve: he was making progress, the start of a new year be damned. But with the advent of fireworks and jubilant cheering both within the building and outwith it, he knew there'd be no end to the noise tonight. He sighed, pushing his chair back and unstrapping the hexclaw properly--

--and caught sight of the gift wrapped on the desk. Immediately, as if recalling a dream later in the day, he remembered that Jayce had been here. Viktor hadn't even noticed him, how did--? His frown softened as he read the label. No-one else would have thought to give him anything. It didn't matter what was inside it (though, knowing how well Jayce knew him and his tastes, he was eager to discover what it was); the thought meant more. That Jayce had known not to disturb him, too, made his heart swell with affection.

After a brief coughing fit, he decided to open the gift. If his body allowed it, and if Jayce hadn't already been snatched up by his other associates, Viktor would have to hunt him down to thank him properly.