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hpapyrus · 2 years

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Fuck Around and Find Out

Part 5/?

Masterlist

Viktor x OC! Devoan

Pairing: M/F

Warnings: Heavy angst and a bit of spice, but it's all pg-13 still. This chapter is basically nothing but angst. Aftermath of Act I. Devo chooses violence, Mita chooses something much worse. Lotta hurt with some comfort. Barely edited if I'm being honest.

Taglist: @gaybybirth @patheticcheesetoastie @inukako @hpapyrus @sevikasstressball

-Devoan-

Fast and short knocks on her door woke her in the morning, far earlier than she was required to be conscious. It didn't help that when she finally did open the door, Devo had no idea who this woman was.

"May I help you?"

"I'm Sky Young, I'm a first year engineering student." She said awkwardly, still standing in Devo's doorway.

Devo looked her up and down, not recognizing her at all, but she definitely looked like a new student. "Do I know you?"

"No! I- I just… Viktor sent me, he wanted me to tell you that everything's fine and he hopes you aren't mad at him." She said, doing nothing to ease all the sudden worries that jumped up at her message.

"The fuck did he do?"

"You- wait you haven't heard?" Sky asked.

Devo's patience was wearing thin. "About what?"

"He's on trial with the council later today. He's being held at the Enforcer Station-"

Devo slammed the door and got dressed as fast as she could, just finding the closest clothes she could find and ran back out the door right past Sky who was still there. She made her way down streets that still had puddles littering across the streets from the rain last night.

She got to the station and barged right in. Devo didn't notice anyone as she found Grayson's office to get her to open the cell door. She didn't expect to find Marcus sitting in there.

"Devoan!" He jumped up like he startled her. "Y-You heard?"

"That my dumbass friend got himself arrested and has a trial later today. I heard that, unless you have more interesting news for me." She didn't even blink as she snatched the jail keys from the desk, but Marcus grabbed them.

He looked like he wanted to say something, but when his eyes met hers, Marcus looked like his mind had gone blank. She expected to get into some kind of screaming match with him, but he did the one thing she didn't expect. He just let go.

While Devo was surprised, she didn't waste any more time with him.

As soon as the cell was open, she barreled in. "What happened?"

"Who are-"

"We figured it out!" Viktor cut off the other man, beaming with excitement.

"You figured out magic?" Devo asked with disbelief, before processing exactly what he had just told her. "You figured out magic!?"

Viktor only nodded. Devo couldn't contain her excitement and just hugged him. "Wait then how did you get arrested?"

He shrugged as much as he could with her hands still clinging to his vest. "We may have broken into Heimerdinger's lab to do it."

"That's it?" She asked. "When Ms. Young came to my door saying you hoped I wouldn't be mad, I was prepared for the worst. You just broke into a lab?"

"Eh Jayce was more worried about your reaction to that." Viktor explained.

"You're Devoan?" Jayce didn't look much different now than he had yesterday. She figured they both probably didn't have the chance to get a change of clothes since last night.

"Yeah, that's me." She conformed.

"And you're just fine with your friend breaking into a place?" He asked like it offended him personally.

That just rubbed her the wrong way.

"I mean… it's not the worst thing I've ever heard of a friend of mine doing." She defended. "And besides, that's probably the best reason a friend of mine has broken into a place, so I'll take what I can get."

"We're going to plead our case to the council this afternoon." Viktor said. "I suspect that if we can convince them of the Hextech theory, this research could change lives across the world for the better."

Viktor held her hands close to his chest. That same obsession she had seen egnite during Jayce's trial was still burning in his eyes. The absolute elation on his face filled her with pride and wonder. Suddenly this passion of his was precious to her.

The realization hit her like she'd fallen out of orbit and crashed to the ground: Devo had managed to fall in love with this obsessed bastard. And she couldn't have been happier about it.

"That's all good, but I'm in a jail cell for the second time this week!" Jayce paced around the rather generous cell.

"I was actually going to ask you for a favor." Viktor said. "I take it you didn't give Sky the chance to ask."

Devo gave a guilty expression. "To be fair, she was taking too much time to get to the point. What do you need?"

"The Enforcers confiscated my keys, and I need a few things from my apartment." He said, holding a folded piece of paper out to her. "Particularly these medications and a spare cane."

There were only four listed along with his address, but she definitely wouldn't remember names if she'd just been told. "Easy enough. I will say though, if your keys were confiscated, then I probably won't be able to get them out of the locker. Grayson isn't around and I doubt I could convince Marcus."

"Eh, I have a feeling that won't be a problem for you." Viktor gave her a mischievous look.

"That's a bold feeling." She said innocently, lightly dancing on her toes. "What makes you think I can?"

"Call it eh… a hypothesis." He teased quietly.

"Hmm, fine. I'll break into your house." She agreed. "You need anything while I'm out, Mr. Talis?"

"Not if you're gonna break into my house to get it." He replied. Devo closed the door behind her and pocketed the cell key.

Viktor's apartment was closer to the council block than she expected. It was a well kept building just outside the gated houses of counselors and other noble houses.

A few of the students here looked familiar too. If Devo cared enough about the official student council of the academy, she might even know their names. When she got to Viktor's door, she also noted that several apartment doors were open, and it wouldn't surprise her if Viktor's was the only one that was locked.

She could try to round the side of the complex and find his window for an easier entrance, but gated communities in Piltover certainly didn't mind their own damn business when it didn't concern them. To her luck, she had two hairpins in her pocket.

It had been a long time since she'd had to pick a lock, and a complicated, topside lock was a hell of a way to get back into the motions. She bit off the wax ends and bent the thin metal into the formations she needed.

Most locks were, at most, four pins. Hefty metal keys usually made for simple locks, but this building looked brand new. And with new construction came new features. Viktor's lock had seven pins.

So either Viktor was the only tenant using the newest, advanced lock, or he specifically had it installed because he could now afford some extra security. She couldn't really blame him. When she moved into her apartment with a bunch of sketchy gold, the first thing she bought was an extra three bolts for her door.

The pins were difficult to decipher. She ended up having to tap on them one by one, ever so softly to try figuring out which one would click next. Devo held her breath, like the smallest amount of displaced air would upset the mechanics. What she wouldn't give for a thief's wand right about now. Or Mylo if he still carried that old thing.

The lock clicked open and Devo let out her breath.

The inside of Viktor's apartment looked exactly how she expected it to. The space wasn't very large, opening to a sort of sitting room with the kitchen to her right and a small table to the left. Around the kitchen counter was a hallway with a bathroom and his bedroom at the end of it.

All of it was a strange mix of tidy and a chaotic mess. His desk was scattered with open notebooks and reference books, yet the rest of the sitting room was tidy. The bookshelves were overstuffed, crammed with as many volumes of writing that he could balance together, but it was all alphabetized by the author's names. His bed was made, but there were a few clothing items strewn across the floor.

She easily found a spare cane by his bed, and she had to check the list to make sure she grabbed the right bottles. All four were prescribed by a topside doctor she recognized the name of: Dr. Tesyk

Devo's heart just about stopped. So she was a doctor now. That made sense. Considering the last time she met Ojin Tesyk, she was uncovering a massive conspiracy in the field she was studying in.

Viktor was a man of science himself, it made sense that he would find a doctor more inclined to new, experimental, treatments.

Devo made her way around the house, trying to find a place where he might keep a spare cane. It did occur to her that he might have a few scattered in tactical places all around his apartment, but she was struggling to find one. That was until she realized she was stupid, and there was probably a cane by his bed or bedroom desk.

It felt oddly intimate to be in his bedroom, especially without him here. It did not look like he had been here recently. It wasn't as if this was the first time she's broken into a house, but she knew this man. Hopefully the next time Devo would be here, she wouldn't be alone.

She grabbed the cane she found and decided to stop by the Talis residence anyway. Devo chuckled to herself, thinking of what Jayce might think if she broke into his house, but she also knew it was unlikely that the house was empty.

A knock on the door proved her right. It did surprise her that Lady Talis herself came to the door instead of a butler or something. She was a rather frail looking woman with wispy features. It was difficult to believe that this was the same woman that had stood up to the council and begged for her son's freedom.

"May I help you?" She asked.

"Yes, umm. I have some unfortunate news. Your son was arrested again last night, and he'll be on trial this afternoon."

Mrs. Talis couldn't have looked more defeated. "What happened?"

Devo could tell her, but she also knew what might happen if she said. What Mrs. Talis had said during the first trial had stuck with Devo. If she explained it now, this trial might end up just like the last one.

"All I can say for sure is that it's not as bad as you think. But I'm already heading back to the station with some supplies for his… accomplice. So, if there's anything you think he might need before he goes to trial again, I can get it to him."

Lady Talis let out a deep sigh. "Come in." She stepped aside, letting Devo through the door.

She led her upstairs to a bedroom that definitely belonged to a young boy at some point. The line of crystals along the window indicate some kind of interest, and the books on the shelf only confirm the kind of person Jayce was. This pursuit of his had been pushing Jayce Talis his whole life. It was no wonder his passion had caught Viktor's eye.

"I don't think I caught your name." She prompted.

"I'm Devoan. I'm studying astrophysics at the academy." She answered.

"And how do you know my son?"

"I don't really." Devo shrugged. "His accomplice I mentioned earlier is a friend of mine, the assistant to the Dean of the academy."

"Viktor." Mrs. Talis placed the name. "I'm guessing this has something to do with my son's research."

Devo stayed quiet, scared she might say something to ruin this for Viktor and Jayce.

It seems nothing gets past Mrs. Talis, though. "I'm not going to get you in trouble, Ms. Devoan. Forgive me, I just want to know my son is alright."

"Respectfully ma'am, it's not me I'm worried about." Devo said. "I heard what you said at your son's trial yesterday, and I think he and Viktor can convince the council themselves this time."

Lady Talis glanced over Devo for a long moment, pausing as she did. "You think I hurt my son's chances?"

"No! With the way that trial was going, you saved his life." Devo amended, "Councilor Heimerdinger hurt his chances the most, I'd say. But unfortunately my opinion isn't exactly law."

A beat of silence stretched on, but Lady Talis went back to gathering items. "Humor me for a moment, Ms. Devoan." She began. "In your opinion, as a scientist. In the first trial, why couldn't he convince the council?"

"Well, my field isn't anything like Jayce's, but from what I saw, he was on the right track. If Councilor Heimerdinger hadn't stopped him, then Jayce could have won their favor." Devo said honestly.

"And what makes you think he can do it this time?"

"He has help this time." She said, "I might not know your son very well, and honestly, I don't even like him all that much. But I know Viktor won't go down without a fight, and Jayce knows how to appeal to the council's desire for progress."

Mrs. Talis nodded, handing the bundle of items to her. The feeling of cold metal on her fingers as she took the bundle from her. Mrs. Talis had two fingers on her right hand that were replaced with undercity style prosthetics. Devo must have not been very subtle, because Mrs. Talis covered them fairly quickly.

"I hope you are right, Ms. Devoan. Thank you for looking out for him."

Upon return to the cell, Viktor was sitting down and Jayce was pacing the area again.

"I come bearing gifts." Devo announced. Giving Viktor's cane and medicine to him, and handing Jayce the bundle.

"Did you break into my house?" Jayce immediately panicked.

Devo groaned. "Most people say 'thank you.' At least that's what your mother said."

She heard Viktor snort, however it took Devo a brief moment to hear him and see the shocked look on Jayce's face to realize how that had sounded. "I-I uh.. your mother was home, so I just asked her if there was anything she thought you might need."

"Right…" Jayce muttered, looking at what he had.

"Devoan." She froze up when she heard him, but she also figured it was only a matter of time before Marcus called her out.

"I'll see you two later. Now I gotta sweet talk my way out of getting arrested, myself." Devo spun on her heel and placed the jail keys to Marcus' waiting hand.

With the door now closed and locked, she expected to get an earful from him, but he didn't start. Instead he just began walking back down the hall. "Come."

Devo hesitantly followed after him as he made his way to Grayson's office. She still wasn't here, which Devo did find odd. It wasn't like her to take a day off when so much was happening. What about the lab explosion case? Were the kids off the hook? Did Vander give up someone for arrest? Was the council letting it go or putting more pressure on her to take someone in?

Marcus leaned against the desk while Devo still stood in the middle of the office. Something was wrong. Other than how quiet he was, Marcus also refused to look at her. He'd been staring at the floor with his arms crossed over his chest like he was cold.

"What's going on, Marcus? Where's Grayson?"

The question was met with silence, while he looked as though the words physically hurt him.

Marcus took a deep breath in and out. "Last night, in the line of duty, Sheriff Grayson was killed."

The room went silent. Like the only living things in the building were Devo and Marcus. She heard him, but no matter what, she thought he had to be lying. "Wait- wait what happened?"

Marcus stood fully and held out a hand for her, since she must have looked like she was about to fall over. "Devoan, I'm so sorry- I-"

All the confusion and shock had frayed her patience. "No, you're gonna tell me what happened!"

"It's an ongoing investigation, I can't-"

"Bullshit! What happened?" Devoan only let anger settle in. It was usually much more productive than denial, bargaining, depression or simple acceptance. Anger always got results.

Right now, it looked like it stung Marcus. "She was ambushed, that's all I can tell you."

"Where? You can't expect me to believe she was careless, because you know she wasn't. What the fuck happened?"

"We went to make an arrest. We got a tip that someone was willing to meet us and turn themself in." Marcus turned to reciting it like a report, but at least it was an answer. "When we met them, it turned out that Vander was willing to take the fall for it."

Devo's blood ran cold. Was Vander alright? What about Mita? Were the kids safe?

"Someone was waiting for us. Someone- … Something came out of the streets and ambushed us as we were leaving Benzo's shop."

"Benzo?" Devo questioned. "Who else was there? Are Benzo and Vander alright?"

"I-It killed Grayson first. Benzo tried to fight it, but he didn't survive. It took Vander to the old crab cannery by the docks, but I'm not sure what happened there. The place went up in flames."

Devoan could feel her voice die out before she even spoke. "Who survived?"

Whatever her opinion of Marcus was, it was obvious that he was struggling just as much as she was. "I don't know. Three bodies were recovered from the rubble, but we don't have identification on any of them. The coroner believes all three were juvenile males."

Juveniles? Her mind went to Mylo who she remembered coming to mind that morning when he may be already dead. Claggor could also be among them, but if there were three, then the last one couldn't have been any of the kids she knew. At the very least Vi and Powder may be alive, but beyond that, Devo could only assume the worst. That the only three bodies recovered were not the only ones dead.

Devo took off toward her apartment. She had to get to the bottom of this, and if she found whoever did this, they better give her the right answer. Devo still kept clothes for her trips to the undercity. Usually she uses them when she'd go to play cards with Mita and Vander.

Strange looks were expected in Piltover while she was on her way to the bridge. There were Enforcers stationed at the bridge that followed her until she had fully crossed it.

She didn't exactly know where she was going, but Benzo's shop sounded like a good place to start. It was closer to the border than the last drop, and if Vander was dead, then it was more likely that Mita hadn't been able to defend it from someone making a power grab. If Benzo was dead, someone a bit more friendly might turn up there.

The street was deserted, and Devo could see why. The bodies had likely been collected by the Piltover coroner, which meant the Enforcers had been here until recently. There was still blood on the ground that climbed partially up the wall like the victim had been torn apart.

It could be Grayson's.

The thought made her sick, but she was soon distracted by a blood trail on the cobblestone road that led away.

It took Vander to the old crab cannery on the docks.

She followed the trail, and made her way to the cannery. It was visible from a small distance, or at least it should be. It wasn't until she was on the street that she saw why it wasn't present. The fire had taken a few feet of height off the building. Only the face of the building was still standing and the ash was getting kicked up by the wind, making it appear as though the rubble was still smoking.

There were no bodies here either. She made her way around to a tunnel street, only for her to stop when she heard a sharp cling when she kicked something across the ground. It was normal to see random trash on the street, but the bottle didn't look like it had been there for very long.

Devo picked the small bottle from the cobblestone, turning it over in her hand. It was some sort of chemical product, only labeled with the scientific names for the cocktail. It definitely wasn't sold on regular markets. Likely, it was only sold for laboratory use, or as a specific concoction to synthesize medicine. Devo was no chemist, but she could have sworn that nonbenzodiazepine was some kind of sedative.

She knew one person that might be able to help her out with identifying it, even if she couldn't find Mita, but that could wait a moment. Right now she just needed to know who was operating out of the cannery.

She made her way across the rubble, finding an opened cellar door. The opening smelled of chemicals and smoke, along with something that stank of something rotten. Devo was on her way down to investigate when she was suddenly hit over the head with something metal in an attempt to knock her out. It really just hurt, and she picked up a large pipe, covered in soot, and swung it back at them.

When she finally turned to see who she was up against, she didn't know her, but she looked maybe a little older than Devo, and she managed to notice the metal hand she'd likely hit her with. She didn't look weak, but definitely very tired.

"Who are you!?" The woman demanded, watching her hand for the pipe that she'd turned into a handy weapon.

"Tell me who you're working for, and maybe I'll have an answer." She demanded.

"I'm not telling you shit!" She tried to throw a punch, but she swung the pipe at her leg, and clearly broke something when she yelped in pain and dropped.

"Then just show me." Devo dropped the pipe and offered her hand to the woman to help her up.

She looked up at her confused, but took her help anyway. Devo hoisted an arm over her shoulder, and helped her begin walking. She could feel a knife in her belt, but she was distracted enough by the pain in her leg for Devo to carefully slide the weapon out of her belt and place it on her own.

"He's just gonna kill you, ya'know." The woman said. Devo picked up on the shake in her voice. She hoped it was just from the pain.

"Let me deal with that." She said. "You got a name?"

"Folks call me Ran." She answered. "I don't know if I was someone before that."

Yeah, that happened a lot around here. "If you're certain your boss is gonna kill me, what are you doing in his business, Ran?"

"It's less of a business, more of a cause." Ran explained. "We want to unite the Undercity and get out from under Piltover's boot."

"Can you tell me what part of revolution involves killing children and setting fire to a cannery?" Devo asked.

"No offense, but I'd like to have a chance of survival when I get back. He'll kill me too if you know too much."

"Fair enough. I'll ask him directly." Devo said.

"You look like a trencher, but you sure don't act like one." Ran commented as they began heading towards what Devo knew was the way to the Last Drop.

"I gotta play nice to get what I want here. But I was lucky enough to get a ticket topside. So maybe I've just gone soft." She was glad Ran found it as funny as she did.

"You're nice. I hope he doesn't eat you alive." She said as the two of them came upon the entrance to the bar Devo had been only a short time ago.

The light of the sign was off, but it was clear someone had made the nexus of undercity society their home. The scarier part was that she knew whoever had holed up here, had definitely forced Vander, Mita, and the kids out. Anybody able to do that had to have been some kind of beast.

Ran was kind enough to vouch for Devo at the entrance to the guard that stood there. He was easily eight feet tall, three two and a half feet wide with a wild array of tattoos and piercings. He eyed Devo suspiciously, but let her pass with Ran.

Another person was waiting at the foot of the staircase. She didn't know thus person either, but Ran explained she had a broken leg and that Devo had brought her back in one piece. She kindly left out the part where Devo took a pipe to her knees, and that she just wants to talk to the boss.

Ran was sat down at an empty bar, and Devo was led upstairs by a gangly looking dude with a lazy eye. He left her by a closed door where she was expected to knock for herself. Likely because he didn't want to be in the line of fire when the boss was interrupted.

She considered turning back, but she'd already come this far. If it meant answers, she would just have to fight for her life if it came down to it. A voice calls for her to enter after her first knock, startling her somewhat, but she can't afford to hesitate.

Devo shouldn't have gone in with expectations, but she hadn't ever seen this room. It seemed to be a storage room where the junk had been pushed to the walls. An old desk and a couch sat in the middle of the room.

The man waiting for her there was also not what she expected. This man was vaguely taller than Devo, but he was thin and whatever infection had set in his eye, had spread to an entire side of his face. He was near Vander's age, maybe he was older, or maybe it was the state of his injury that made him look older.

But Devo did recognize Sevika, who was missing an arm and slouching against the corner of the couch in her weakened state. Devo did know Sevika recognized her, and she would have questions for her, but not while she was standing in front of whoever had the answers she wanted.

"Who are you?" The man asks, breaking the silence between them. He begins taking slow steps toward her, waiting for an answer as he circles her.

"Someone angry enough to come here for answers." Devo stated. "The real question is who you are."

"I'm the man running things now." He answered with just as little information as Devo had given.

She didn't follow him with her eyes as he circled her, opting to wait for him to finish before staring him in the face. "Then you can answer my questions." Devo decides. "And if you have the wrong answer, then we'll have a problem."

He has the audacity to chuckle. "What sort of problem?"

"Fuck around and find out."

He rests against the desk again with an entertained expression. "Ask away then, mouse."

"Is Vander dead?" She asked simply, cutting to the chase.

"Yes." His answer was given almost before she finished asking. She was smart enough to know that the only reason he'd give that answer is if he was the one to kill him. Which meant she was also staring Grayson's murderer in the face right now.

"I take it Mylo and Claggor went with him, then." He's responsible for killing children.

"You would be correct." He agreed. "Violet as well. That part of the family didn't survive the fire."

Devo nodded, in understanding. He didn't mention Mita, and she doubt he knows who Ekko is. It's best she doesn't mention them in case his lack of knowledge is the only thing keeping them safe. She pulled the knife from her belt. "Five of my closest friends murdered in one night… Now you have to give me the right answer." She warned. "Did you kill Powder too?"

He didn't answer for a moment, licking over his teeth in thought for a moment before he knocked twice on the desk.

The girl herself came out from behind the desk where she had been hiding, startling Devo into dropping the knife. "You're alive." She couldn't stop herself from saying it, and she immediately ignored the man's presence in favor of taking a few steps to kneel in front of the girl that was holding an old, pink rabbit toy. "Are you hurt, Powder? Are you safe?"

She wouldn't look Devo in the eye, keeping her gaze firmly on the floor. She mumbled something that Devo couldn't quite hear.

"Sweetie, I didn't hear that."

"I'm just a jinx." She said a little louder. The phrase broke Devo's heart. She knew that's what Mylo would call her when she messed up. Did she think this was her fault?

"You're safe, that's all that matters." Devo tried to help, but the words weren't coming to her. "What are you doing here with him? Has he hurt you?"

"No, Silco is keeping me safe." She answered, still keeping her eyes on the floor.

"I can keep you safe too, if you like." Devo offered. It was a big decision to make so fast, but if Powder needed it, Devo wouldn't hesitate to provide it. Vander and Mita had offered to her, so it was right to offer the same help to Powder. "I know it wouldn't be ideal, but living topside with someone you know might be better than being here with someone you don't know."

Powder looked to the toy in her hand and looked to be considering it. But she shook her head. "I want to stay here with Silco."

Devo only nodded, accepting her choice. "Alright. But if you ever need a place to hide out, you know where my apartment is." Powder nodded, and Devo stood up.

Her eyes met Silco's, or at least what was left of them. She took a step, coming nose to nose with him. "If I ever catch wind of her coming to any harm under your watch, you will be finding a god to pray to that I don't come back to follow through on revenge."

She didn't wait for him to answer her, picking up the knife on her way out, and heading down the stairs. Devo placed the knife in front of Ran before getting out the door as fast as she could without sprinting. She took a few twists and turns through the lanes to ensure nobody was following her.

Just when she was sure nobody had invited themself along with her, she was abruptly shoved into an alley and cornered. Devo was about ready to fight for her life until she recognized the woman that had her back turned as she scanned the street for anyone Devo might have missed.

"Mita!"

"Quiet!" She shushes quickly, guiding Devo to the back of the alley where they won't be seen by anybody passing by.

When she finally faces Devo, every question leaves her mind. Mita looks just as frantic and cold as she did five years ago. The last five years of peace have disappeared from her expression, and she held her hook swords at her back like she had before, as well as the five-eyed creature’s mask on her head.

"What the fuck were you thinking?" Mita hissed, but Devo didn't respond. Instead, she lifted her hand to Mita's arm in some gesture of comfort.

The older woman flinched slightly, but didn't stop her. All Devo could muster was to wrap Mita in an embrace. Mita stiffened for a brief moment, but returned the hug like she was falling apart. Mita shook as Devo held her, but no attempt to hide the pain was made.

"They're all gone, Devoan."

“I know.”

“I managed to find Ekko, but Devoan, nobody else survived.”

Devo nodded. “Powder is alive.”

“I know, but I can’t go back for her.” Mita slowly stepped back. “Silco raided The Last Drop and she helped them smoke it out.”

Devo didn't know how to take that. She just stood face to face with the man that murdered six of her best friends. And now she had even more reason to worry for Powder. She may have been too scared to go with Devo because she feels she can't be forgiven. She might think it's her fault.

"Minute, I-"

"Devoan, this isn't your fight."

"Not my fight? Damn near all of my fucking friends are dead, and topside's on the verge of war with my family down here!"

"Then stay on the winning side, Devoan!" Mita snapped. "I can't have you dead down here too like the rest of them!"

Devo understood. She had to, even if she didn't agree. "I can't just leave you here to deal with this mess."

Mita began to walk away. "I'll deal with it, Devoan. Go home."

"But-"

"Go home!"

Mita was gone without another word. All Devoan could do was exactly as she said. She went home. It was a long walk alone, and she was expecting to be alone for the rest of the night. At least until she met someone waiting at her apartment door.

"Viktor. What are you doing?"

He fully stood up, clearly trying to make sense of what's going on with her. "I was expecting to see you at the trial. A brief word with an enforcer, I believe his name was Marcus, let me know you may be dealing with some extra problems."

Viktor stood in front of her, like he meant to protect her. She wouldn't meet his eyeline. It's not like there was anything she could do about her problems. She couldn't bring anybody back from the dead, and she couldn't do anything to stop the inevitable Piltover civil war.

His hand brushed a piece of her hair behind her ear. "Why didn't you tell me, Devo?" Viktor asked, softly. "This isn't something you should face alone."

She couldn't stop herself from wrapping her arms around his middle and burying her face in his chest. Anything to stop from completely breaking down in front of him, but she couldn't hold onto it anymore.

Viktor understood enough not to ask more questions. His arms wrapped around her as sobs wracked her form.

"I can't do anything, Viktor."

"You don't have to for now." He assured. "You should get some rest, Devo."

"I don't think I'll be able to sleep." She said, "I don't want to be alone, though."

Viktor held her tighter. "Then I'll stay."

"Thank you."

Viktor followed after her as she let him into her apartment. She walked right past her kitchen and to the couch.

"Perhaps you should eat something."

"I'm not hungry."

Viktor didn't leave her alone, just as he'd promised. He sat beside her on the couch and let her collapse against him. "Marcus said her funeral would be tomorrow. If you would like to speak, you may, but he won't make you if you don't want to."

Devoan nodded.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked.

"It wasn't just Grayson, Viktor… whatever happened- it killed so many. Three of them were kids, I just-" Devo stopped, holding back a full breakdown, but failing to keep entirely calm.

"It's alright. I know it's not easy." He said.

Devo didn't ask, but she knew one didn't come out of the undercity without ever facing some kind of death. It wouldn't surprise her if Viktor had already lost someone dear to him before arriving in Piltover. But in the undercity, all it took was one night for the worst of destruction to show itself.

"I just… I don't want to think."

"Well, if you want me to distract you by rambling about what Jayce and I found, then I am more than willing to do so."

Devo laughed and rested fully against him. "Yeah, I'd like that."

She was really only half listening to him. The half that she could actually understand. He said something about having to stabilize the volatile crystal by using a higher frequency to resonate with the energy the crystal gave off.

The council was left impressed with what Jayce said the energy could do, and that the two of them had successfully found a way to teleport items across a set matrix. With more research, they could theoretically develop a teleport matrix for people and goods. International shipping as well as cargo transport in the fissures could change everything the world knows about their standard of living.

She couldn't have been more happy for him. Devo knew Viktor could put any kind of engineering wonder together so long as he thought it could do good. He's always been motivated to make lives better for everyone that needs it.

She couldn't help but remember that she's completely fallen for him. Hearing him rant with excitement about being able to help people with research that he's co-leading has reminded her exactly why she loves him.

Viktor was every kind of beautiful to her. His compassion, and obsession enamored her, and his mind and heart intrigued her. He was winding down when Devo' attention was caught by his face. The gold in his eyes always seemed to catch more light when he was thrilled by his current fixation.

He picked up on her shift in mood. Whatever desperation for escape she previously had mellowed out into an idle fixation on him. Viktor could only allow himself to do the same. Devo was beautiful company to have, even if he was here to distract her rather than fulfil his own need to have a companion.

"I seem to have successfully distracted you, Ms. Devoan. Perhaps not the way I intended, but I will take the triumph wherever I get it." He teased as her hand came up against his cheek and played with a strand of his hair.

"Will you now?" Devo smiled lazily. "Maybe I really did just want to shamelessly ogle you in my apartment."

"You expect me to believe that is all you wanted?"

"Unless you have a hypothesis to test."

Viktor wasted no time bringing his lips to hers as an answer. His gentle hand over her shoulder pulled her closer while Devo took the opportunity to seat herself on his lap. As soon as she sat up fully, everything in the kiss felt like too little.

Devo's fingers threaded through his hair, pulling him impossibly closer as Viktor's hands ran up her legs and sides, barely managing to hold her still. This wasn't their first kiss, but for the first time, all the time in the world was theirs to take.

Viktor groaned against her mouth when she bit down gently on his bottom lip and Devo fell apart on top of him when he slipped his tongue against hers. All was perfect until he broke away from her.

Viktor looked all but hypnotized by her, but the spell was broken. "I-I can't, Devo. Not tonight."

His refusal broke her own enchantment. "Can I ask why?"

"Because even as much as I know we both want this, I don't think there's any scenario where we don't regret what happens." His voice was soft but clear. "I don't want this to be because you feel vulnerable and I'm the closest distraction."

She understood more than he might think she did. "Okay…" Devo got off of him. "I've got a lot to deal with tomorrow anyway."

Viktor stood to meet her where she was. "Devo, I-"

"I'm not holding it against you, Viktor." She stopped him from finishing. "But if you’re alright with it, I'd still like you to stay. I still… don't wanna be alone."

Viktor wrapped an arm around her and kissed her forehead. "Anything for you, Ms. Devoan."

-X-

The funeral went by in a blur. The sky was clear, but the cooling temperature was felt. Nearly every Enforcer off shift had turned up, and everyone else was some rich person that had put a lot of money into the force.

She'd told Viktor he didn't have to come with her, but he wasn't having any of it. He stood beside Devo, holding her hand the whole time.

It was nature that memories came back at funerals. In particular, ones that hurt to remember now that it felt too late to appreciate them. The one that kept coming back was from their first meeting.

Mita brought her to Grayson's apartment after everything had settled. Devoan was far from trusting, but Mita had yet to betray her, so she went along.

Mita and Grayson worked out the logistics of her staying there, but as Devoan looked around, all she could let sink in was that she was free. She'd never be trapped again unless whoever trapped her was ready to die a horrible death. For the first time in her life she felt powerful.

"Did you get that Devoan?" Mita reminded her that she wasn't alone rather abruptly.

"As far as the council will be concerned, you're related to me somehow. It's not a secret to them that I'm from the undercity, but they won't be told unless they ask. And nobody will know where your money is coming from." Grayson explained. "If attending the academy is really what you want, then I can help you get on your feet if you don't want to stay here."

"I'll stay here for a bit." Devo said, "If you're alright with it."

Grayson smiled, "The offer is always there. Even far into the future."

"And, you're sure nobody survived? Nobody will come for me?" Devo asked.

Mita sighed, "If anybody survived, they're too scared of you to come looking. You made sure of that with the fire."

That was good, but it wasn't exactly the kind of assurance Devo was looking for. Grayson was the one to give that assurance. "Regardless of who survived, there's nothing I won't do to keep you safe, Devoan."

It felt a lot better to hear that than she knew Grayson thought. She hadn't intended to attach herself to Grayson after that, but safe people were difficult to come by. Even when they disagreed, Grayson was always a safe person to talk to.

"What in the hell did you think you were doing, Devoan?" Grayson's stress was more than apparent in her voice.

"Getting rid of a rat at my table, and mind you, I'm only here because I beat him." Devo leaned on the jailhouse bars to talk to her. "And you know as well as I do that it wasn't his money that Albert was betting."

"So you let him arrest you?"

"Well, if you recall, my first course of action was to tell you what I witnessed, but you said there wasn't enough evidence." Devo recounted. "So I got you some evidence."

"The winnings?" Grayson deadpanned.

"No, the bruise he left on my rib. Yes, the winnings!" She shouted. "Every coin is accounted for before and after the game. It's not illegal, but I like to get a leg up on the competition by keeping my own record of how much money everybody has. My record matches the board at the casino. Albert entered with at least 60,000 gold that is missing from his department's treasury. And I currently hold that 60,000."

Grayson sighed and pinched her brows. "Devoan, I appreciate your help, but you know I can't help but worry when you charge into the line of fire like this."

"You know I wouldn't go in without backup. Mita was with me the whole way." She said, "But forgive me if I don't want the council to know that."

"If Minute was with you, then why is Albert still alive?" Grayson asked.

"Because I told her the plan was to get arrested."

"Goddamnit, Devoan."

Devoan's candle sat in the middle of the memorial beneath the lantern. She knew it was likely that Grayson would die in the line of duty, but that didn't stop her from hoping that maybe she'd be able to retire and live a life beyond the force. It hurt to know there wasn't a time in Grayson's life that she wasn't fighting for either her own survival or the safety of anybody that couldn't fight for themself.

Grayson really tried to use her position in the Enforcer Corps to protect people, even when the nature of the job made that difficult. She grew up in the underground, under the threat of an old crime lord and Enforcers on their own personal power trips. She did everything she could to change the Enforcer system from the inside. It's no wonder that Vander approaching her with a deal was as good as it could get for her.

Marcus found her after the service had ended. "Don't suppose you'd be willing to join me for a drink?"

It was the first time Devoan had ever heard him speak to her with anything other than vague disdain. Maybe Grayson actually did see something in Marcus. It wouldn't be the first time her reasons were left obscured to Devo just for the reason of misunderstanding.

Viktor seemed to know something was different about her general reaction to Marcus, but he still squeezed her hand as if to check in with her. "You should head home, Viktor. Maybe get some sleep." He nodded, but still kissed her hand before he left.

Devoan followed Marcus to the station where they both settled in Grayson's office. He knew exactly where the bottle of scotch was that she kept in her desk for more rough days.

"They want me to take her place." He blurted like he couldn't hold it anymore, dropping his handcuffs on the desk.

Surprisingly, Devo wasn't angry at the idea. It's clear this wasn't any sort of plan of his, and it wasn't like Grayson to trust someone for no reason. Whatever she saw in Marcus had to have been real.

Devo just took a seat across from the desk and took the glass he handed her. "Do you think you're ready for it?"

It clearly wasn't the response he was expecting. "I wish I was. But I'll never be her."

That was true, but Devo refused to believe that Grayson had placed faith in him irrationally. Whatever she was about to say, died in her throat as a knock on the window drew their attention.

Mita crouched on the ledge, but opened the window herself. The latch must have been broken specifically for Mita's accessibility. They must have been meeting frequently for the last five years at least.

"I saw you at the funeral." Marcus says. "You're not bad at keeping yourself hidden."

Mita climbed in and sat down beside Devo. "I'm not exactly welcome topside. But she's the only one of the dead that actually received a funeral, so I thought I oughta show up."

"She told me about you." Marcus said. "I could never figure out why she wasn't scared of you."

Mita laughed dryly. "I'm not nearly as easy to buy as you believe, Marcus." She said, "I received many bounty offers to assassinate council members or Enforcer squads. Even a few to kill Grayson herself."

"So why didn't you?" He asked.

"Besides the fact that I was retired and had settled down, Vander's deal with Grayson still stood. She would keep Enforcers above ground, and he'd keep the undercity in line." Mita explained. "I suppose since they're both dead, it doesn't matter who knows anymore."

Marcus just gave in and slid a glass of scotch over to her as well.

"I knew they had a deal, but I didn't realize it was that strict." Devo recalled. "That explains a few things, though."

"Better to get it all on the table now." Mita cited. "This will only be the start of it. Grayson being gone from Piltover, and Vander from the underground can only mean chaos."

Whatever Marcus was hearing in his head became too much for him. His head buried in his hands, and his voice cracking, "It's all my fault. She wouldn't be dead if I'd have just stayed put."

Devo was about to offer some kind of consolation, but Mita stopped her.

"What do you mean, Marcus?" She asked slowly. "If you'd stayed where?"

Marcus looked up at Mita as she stood. "I didn't know he was going to kill her." He pleaded, "That wasn't the deal."

Minute's voice was measured and professional. "What deal?"

Devo could only listen in shock at what he could be confessing to.

"The deal was to give us a tip on where the kids were hiding, and we'd get Vander to take the fall for it." Marcus explained. "We didn't find them in the bar, and I figured his deal was no good until we got a new tip. Someone was taking the fall, and we were supposed to arrest them. When we found Vander, I thought it was the deal. But we stepped out and she was ripped apart."

Devo stood abruptly, the glass shattering on the ground as she did. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. It was impossible. There's no way he would betray Grayson like that.

But he'd confessed. Marcus made a deal to take the kids. He made a deal. He's the reason Grayson is dead. He's the reason they're all dead.

She really wishes she could find any normal emotion. Disgust, fear, despair, but all she could find was rage. She saw a lot in his face, though. Disgust in himself, fear of what Devo was about to say, despair that he couldn't change anything.

He's the reason she's dead.

It happened fast enough that Devo wished she could remember the second she snapped. Whatever happened in the split second between her breaking point, and Marcus being bashed across the head with a desk lamp must have made sense to someone.

But unlike most other breaking points, Devo's blind rage didn't stop at one strike. She hit him again, and meant to keep beating until he was dead, but Mita grabbed her and slammed her against the wall. In one quick move, Mita swiped the handcuffs off the desk and cuffed Devoan to the heater in the corner.

"It should have been you left dead in the fucking street!" Devo spat at him, "I'll watch you bleed on her fucking desk!"

"Devoan!" Mita barked, successfully shutting her up.

She turned to Marcus who was holding his face where Devo had bashed him with the desk lamp. He didn't say anything out of fear that the next enraged reaction might kill him.

"There isn't any kind of murder in the world good enough to make killing you worth my effort." Mita said, pulling her swords off her back and setting them down, crossed on the desk. "So I'm going to do nothing."

Marcus gazed up at her, surprised by what could only be mercy, but Mita didn't let him think that for very long.

"When Silco tortures you with this guilt for the rest of your life, I will do nothing. When he threatens your wife, and your infant daughter, I will do nothing. And when his demands eventually kill you after he's already destroyed everything you love, I'll still do nothing." Minute watched him like she would kill him anyway if he made a wrong move. "Silco decides your fate now. You made that choice."

Devo struggled against the cuffs to try breaking them.

"While she's tied up." Mita said, "Is there anything else you'd like to confess to?"

Marcus stared up at her in terror, but only gave silence as his answer. Something tipped Devo off that there was something else. The way his eyes darted back to her before up to Mita again must have been it.

Devo did remember something she had yet to fit into the puzzle. The empty sedative bottle she found outside the cannery.

Mita picked up her swords again and broke the handcuffs off the heater, dragging Devo with her.

-Viktor-

He thought someone was breaking into his apartment. Technically, they were, but he wasn't expecting the girl being dragged into his living room through the window to be Devoan. A rather terrifying woman was the one overpowering her and dropping her on his couch and likely whoever broke his window lock.

"What is the meaning of this!?" Both women seemed to ignore him despite it being his own damn home.

"So you're just going to let him go?" Devo spat at the much larger and stronger woman.

"He made his choice, now he has to live with it."

Devoan scoffed, "Please! You'll wish in a week that you let me fucking kill him!"

That raised the exact amount of alarms that it should. Who was Devoan trying to murder?

"And if I let you, how long until your name is on the list of the casualties?" The woman asked calmer than Devo, but still just as urgent. "I told you this isn't your fight."

"No, it's just my life!"

"It's not your life, Devoan!" That was the first the woman had yelled at all. "You have a life here, where you can become something more than what you left behind underground."

"I never left it behind!" Devoan cried. "They were my friends too and they're dead because he made a back alley deal with a snake, and it got all of them killed."

Devoan collapsed on his couch and sobbed into her hands. The older woman took a breath, and finally seemed to register that Viktor was standing there at all. "You have a life here, Devoan." She said, "Don't throw away what you have left after you've already lost so much."

"Devo." Viktor ignored the more terrifying of the two women to rush to Devo's side. It was clear as soon as he came up beside her that she wasn't ready for any type of comfort at the moment. "How about we get you to bed, hmm?"

Devo only nodded as he brought her to his bedroom and let her settle in. He had questions, and no part of their shouting match had given him any answers. Thankfully the other woman was still in his living room when he returned.

"Are you going to tell me why you broke into my apartment and dragged my friend in like a wild animal?" He asked.

"Her apartment might not be safe for a little while." She said, getting a good look around his home. "You're the only person that can ensure her safety."

"I'm not exactly useful in a fight."

"Which is why I brought her here. Better to avoid the fight all together." She elaborated. She wasn't exactly a woman of many words.

"Who are you?" He asked the obvious question.

"She might have told you about me." The woman figured, "She told me a little about you. I'm Minute, though friends may call me Mita."

"One of her scary friends." He recalled. "Did she really try to murder somebody?"

"A reasonable reaction, all things considered. I was lucky the closest weapon was a desk lamp." Minute shrugged. "If she wants to tell you about it, that's her business. But as far as I'm concerned, from what she understood, murder was the lesser measure."

"And what was worse than murder in this incident?"

Minute smiled sadly, "Whatever this man does to himself."

Devo was right to label this woman as being frightening. Her face was made of stone and years of battle scars littered her exposed arms. It also didn't help that she was only taller than him by a margin, yet somehow felt three times his size. The way she managed to wrangle Devo in through the window told him that she was no stranger to hauling unwilling people across the city.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Viktor." Minute assured, "If I meant any harm, you'd be a lot more scared of me."

He was already fairly scared of her, but she definitely already knew that. "What is she supposed to do now? If you are her friend, then you'll know there's nothing I can do to stop her from picking a fight she can't finish."

Minute took a deep breath. "Devoan is angry, not stupid. I trust her not to do something that will put either of you in danger." She said, "The real question is whether or not you trust her."

Did Viktor think she might do something to get either of them killed? No. He was fairly confident she wasn't stupid. Did he think for a second that she might do something to get someone else killed? Well, apparently that answer was a resounding maybe.

"I trust her, but I am worried about her." He said.

Minute nodded, satisfied with his answer. "I have more work to do underground. I'll come back within the week to tell you if her place is safe or not. Until then, don't let her spend more than an hour there to grab some stuff. I don't want anyone to figure out how to follow her."

She made her way back to his window and was gone as abruptly as she came.

Viktor went back to his bedroom to find Devo pretending to sleep. Her form dipped with the mattress as he sat down beside her. He put a hand on her shoulder and was expecting her to flinch away, but she leaned into his touch.

"I'm glad you're safe, Devo." It was clear she was crashing from the adrenaline of attempting murder. Which is not something Viktor ever expected having to help her through when he first met her.

She was almost shy when he met her, if not mischievous. Devo had been scared of him, but he loved it every time he took notice of a new brush of confidence, or unfiltered excitement. He was more scared than anything that he might never see her light up like that ever again.

"I need to know you're all there, Devo."

"How are you not scared?" She asked like it broke her heart. "I just tried to kill someone, and you just put me in your bed."

That was a loaded question, but he did have an answer for her. "Scientists could find many explanations, but I believe the common term for it is love."

Devo almost laughed. "A terrible explanation."

Viktor leaned over to place a soft kiss on her shoulder as he held her closely to him. "Good thing I'm a scientist, then."

#i spent my morning reading this #i absolutely love how viktor and devoan is written. oc fics are slowly becoming my favorite new thing #especially this one!!!!!!!!!#arcane #arcane oc #viktor x oc

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