#jayce talis x viktor | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

thehistoriangirl · 2 years

Text

When the Clock Strikes Midnight [2/2]

Final part for this journey, I dunno if continuing the next journey but I’ll figure it out. This time to participate in the last week of JayvikAUgust with the category of fantasy. [Thanks for creating the event, I enjoyed it a lot! <3]

Hope you like it :)

Jayce x Viktor [Fairytale/Fantasy AU this isn’t a retelling anymore lel]----8.5K----SFW

FIRST PART HERE

Synopsis: The story goes that in a kingdom far away, there was a prince whose heart was made with magic and clockwork. The prince met every midnight in an abandoned tower with the most prodigious blacksmith in the kingdom, who dreamed of becoming a knight. Until one day the prince stopped attending... *~* Faced with Viktor's suspicious disappearance, Jayce is willing to keep his promise to protect each other, even if it means acting against the Royal Family and forging magic with his bare hands. Now, every chime of the clock means one less chance of saving his beloved prince, but there will always be a small hope of seeing him again in that abandoned tower when the clock strikes midnight.

Viktor was waiting for him on the other side.

It was the first time they were supposed to meet in the abandoned tower that in those distant times was still shining and ruling over the Queen’s Wing like a white knight. Clean, flowery wallpaper covered the entirety of the rooms surfaces, with spotless statues and columns filled with flower crowns in white, yellow, and violet, the favorite colors of the late queen.

Jayce feared of being caught, because he wasn’t good at lying, and he didn’t want to meddle his mother into his little adventures that could end up in not-so-little punishments. After all, he was still a servant boy, even if his father was the Master of the Forge.

Sprinting towards the gardens, between fruit trees and bushes, ivy escalating towards the shiny fountains scattered around the terrain, Jayce’s heart turned upside down every time a fleeting shadow passed near his own. After hiding over the wide trunks of the trees, and against the recently cut bushes, he faced a crossroad with a gigantic fountain in the middle, a statue raised in its peak. It looked like the late queen's face, but she was dressed as a forest fairy, hair down extended in curls as if the wind were moving them.

“Don’t go the wrong direction, Jayce." He didn't hear Viktor's steps muffled against the grass. The prince was dressed in his nightgown, only wearing his daily boots to not got dirt on his indoor shoes. His hair was unkempt, like if he was taking a nap before coming. A bag firmly tucked against his side.

“I’m not. I know the way.” With brows furrowed, Jayce began to walk towards where the old tower loomed over the sky, covering any sign of nocturne light.

“You’re going the wrong way.”

“No, I’m not. Look! The tower’s over there.” Gesturing, he looked right into Viktor’s young eyes.

“You have to go to the forges this time. I can’t stay much longer today.” Viktor took off the bag and rummage its contents. A little automaton was laying in his hand, all made in bronze and copper. It looked like a miniature knight. Smiling, Viktor turned the key on its back, making the figure stand up and swing the word side to side. "Happy birthday, Jayce."

The other boy denied with his head. “Whoa! You remember! And it moves!” He clapped happily, but his hands didn’t extend to take the figurine. “Do you really want to give it to me? It must be very expensive.”

Viktor shrugged. “I couldn’t know. I built it myself with my tutor’s help.” He offered it one more time, arching his eyebrows. “Please take it, you like it. I made it thinking about your dream. Thus, this is my promise to you. I will help you fulfill your dream to be a knight.” His cheeks were of a deep red, golden eyes widened with both shame and excitement. “Jayce, do you believe me?”

Jayce didn’t respond with words. Viktor wasn’t used to physical contact, not even when his parents were alive. Understandably so, his embrace caught Viktor off guard, much more when he heard Jayce’s muffled sobs against the crook of his neck.

“Of course! I always will.”

“Th-that’s good! Um… Jayce… I should get going.” They pulled away. “I’m going traveling with Father for some days, but once I return, I will wait for you at the tower.”

“Midnight, like usual?” Jayce said, caressing the strangely warm surface of the automaton in his palm. Small gears were ensembled together so smoothly that looked like a new kind of puzzle.

Viktor nodded, before in the distance a call of his name went off, followed by the crack of some roots.

“That’s my tutor. Goodnight, Jayce! Happy birthday.” He went and gave him a brief hug that left the other boy speechless. Chuckling slightly, Viktor turned around and walked as fast as he could over the voice’s origin.

“Have a good journey,” Jayce said, but nobody answered him. Looking back at the old tower, Viktor's voice filled his ears and the same air around the now empty garden.

You’re going the wrong way.

Nodding absently, he put the automaton in his pocket. And the warm metal felt both reassuring, and heavy, shining, and full of energy.

*~*~*~*

Everything was black now, and he was alone.

“Viktor!” he exclaimed, trying to sit. His lungs protested, a sharp pain piercing his chest. Frenetic, short breaths came out.

“Calmly, young boy! Not force your lungs too much.”

Well, not everything was black. A little orange hue waved in the corner of his eye, barely illuminating the wood cabin he was in, with its black, mossy walls, and almost no windows covered with ragged clothes as curtains.

“Wh-what happened? Where am I?”

The mysterious shadow was short, moving from side to side to check on him. “You almost drown in the river, young boy." The figure disappeared momentaneously, coming back with a bowl that smelled like a strong, herbal tea. “Here, drink this, it will warm you up.”

“Who are you?” The first liquid to touch his lips and run off his throat seemed to bring mobility into his limbs, traveling through his veins until he could feel his toes and fingertips. “Why… why did you save me?”

Another voice interrupted, a larger figure holding a gas lamp near his face. "I consider it unwise to let an ally of the Crown Prince die in a river.” Jayce didn’t recognize his face, but the lamp shredded light into the other person's features, the abundant blonde hair, big blue eyes, and pronounced white mustache.

With brows deeply knitted together, he muttered: “Counsel Heimerdinger?” He didn’t have a chance to talk face-to-face, but he had observed him from afar when Viktor was taking lessons at the library or the gardens, for more practical subjects.

The other acknowledged him with a tilt. “Indeed, young boy. And he’s Singed, an alchemist appointed by the late king himself.”

The other man used a cloak that didn't allow Jayce to see his features, except for a skinny wrist wrapped in bandages and long fingers marked with little, pink scars.

“Y-you are the one who made Viktor’s heart, right?” He was barely able to raise his head off the pile of pillows he was leaning on. The whole cabin smelled like moss, ashes, and dry herbs, thick vapor filled the air, creating mist among the dim lighting. “You can help me!”

His throat closed off before he could beg. Please. He needs me.

Heimerdinger’s face contorted with a grimace. “Then it’s true what they did to my dear boy.” He paused to take the empty bowl off his hands and put him on a nearby table. “His Royal Highness urged me to depart from the palace and strip from my current position as his tutor and personal assistant days before his attack, but I didn’t—I couldn’t go until it was too late. Though I was useless when His Highness needed me the most.”

“You can’t fight alone against the Royal Family's wishes. Unless you have potent tools within your reach.” Singed was wielding Hopebringer, inspecting the handle up close by the light of the hearth.

Jayce sat up, even if his muscles screamed for the sudden movement. “You recovered the sword, too.”

“The river gets shallow some kilometers down the palace. Your body and the sword were swept away by the current. That's why we discovered you when we went to recollect water for the mill.”

“Please, you have to help me. If I don’t get back to the palace on time, Viktor… he—” Jayce couldn’t bring the courage to say such horrendous words out loud. “Please. I will repay you in full.”

Singed kneeled in front of him, holding the wet papers filled with his scribbles about the stolen magic gears from the prince's heart. “You aren’t in a position of begging, young man. We just save your life—with the same means you wish to save the prince’s.”

“I-I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but—”

“We should be able to reach an agreement that suits both parties." Singed took the paper near the hearth. “The notes are useless now. I hope you can understand.”

The flames wavered when the wet paper consumed them. Flames cracked as Jayce tried to crawl towards them, looking at the blackened sheets turn to ashes.

“Wh-what did you do?!" Jayce's fingers tinted black when he caressed the hot ground surrounding the hearth. “I don't have more notes about it!"

“You’re a lucky man, then.” Walking away, Singed scanned a shabby bookshelf localized at the end of the cabin, in the wall adjacent to the bedroom’s entrances. “I keep the archives of my more outstanding creation.”

Singed extended a book towards Jayce, worn-out leather make it look like a diary, some clothing rages marking pages. In the highlighted places, there were scribbles and drawings of automatons, their pieces, and the devices that would power them. The writing varied from compressed, almost stacked against each other, to elegant, fluid calligraphy that talked about magic, spells, and runes.

“This means you are going to help me?”

“Perhaps. If you convinced the prince to become my apprentice once he wakes up.”

Jayce frowned, his knuckles white from the pressure applied to his fists to not fell into desperation and snap the notebook out his hands. “What for?”

“I can’t stand to see such waste of potential for my greatest work. I wish to nurture it to the fullest.”

“Potential?”

"What do you think happens when a biological body fusion with magic, young man? Do you think everything stays the same after such transformation?”

“Then…” Jayce trailed off, all the stories whispered hurriedly in the marble hallways flooded his mind, were they real? Singed took the book off Jayce's reach. Looking at the worn-out texture, the yellowish pages, and the sword shining with the sunlight began to filter through the ragged cloth that served as a curtain, he sighed. He was trapped in the best situation he could be in. "… Alright, I accept your deal."

He swore to hear a contained laugh inside the cloak. Heimerdinger went to pat Jayce on the shoulder, offering him another bowl, this one filled with boiled oatmeal and sprinkled with nuts and dried fruits. “It’s a good decision, young boy. I promise you, we will help you and His Royal Highness to recover his health.”

Jayce nodded. “In that case, what should I do?”

Heimerdinger smiled as Singed disappeared inside his room. “I will teach you to forge the gears, and Singed would infuse them with magic.”

“Can’t you do it either?” Jayce dropped his shoulders, remembering all the lost nights at the royal forge. “I tried before, but unsuccessfully.”

“I didn’t forge the gears last time.” Heimerdinger chuckled, even if Jayce didn’t find the situation amusing in the slightest. “But I believe the talent necessary to dominate this skill runs in your veins, young boy. After all, your father was the one to create the original ones. That’s how he became the Master of the Royal Forge, and the favorite blacksmith of the late king, of course.”

*~*~*~*

Jayce wasn’t a clockmaker. When in blacksmith the importance was focused on the strength to repeat the warming-cooling process while shaping the metal, and resistance to the suffocating, boiling air inside the forges; it required precision and detailed attention to the final touches in creating gears with perfect teeth and adequate collets.

Heimerdinger’s beverage made him sleepy. The sun was at its zenith when Jayce woke up again, golden light filtering over the holes of the ceiling. One of those rays was responsible for waking him up. This time, the place was empty, some cold food waiting on the table as if they expected him to take breakfast with them hours before.

The floor was wobbly under his legs, patches of humid wood over broken cobblestones. Now that he got the opportunity to rest over days of worry and working nonstop at the forges, his muscles were cold, and every movement provoked a wince of pain.

When he got to the little table in front of the now cold hearth, he heard voices echoing through the window. It seemed to originate from the back section of the cabin, still unknown to him. With small steps, he began his journey outside the house.

The air was still chilly with a penetrant smell of mashed herbs, a soft gurgle of water surrounding the ambiance paired with the squeaking sound of the mill working with the river’s current. Jayce walked slowly, unsure to draw attention to him.

It looked like the cabin was adjacent to a hill slope, only to the first impression. Up close, the slope was made of foliage cultivated in a gabled so it could look like stable ground from afar. A small entrance half-covered by a boulder made him descend into an atelier underground. Heimerdinger was reclining against a table, abacus, and notebook in hand, scribbling away while muttering something under his breath.

Singed was the first one to see him. Nodding slightly as Jayce approached. The alchemist was in front of Heimerdinger, the old notebook from earlier open between his large hands, a brush with black ink where the old paper tinted with different runes, some crossed out, some bigger than others.

Heimerdinger turned around and smiled at him. “Good afternoon, young boy! Did you rest well? We need your complete attention for this task.”

"I'm ready." Jayce nodded, checking the equipment laid on the table: some plaques of metal—bronze or copper, a gear-cutting indexer, some wooden planks, a saw, and some devices he had seen in the clockmaker workshop at the palace, but slightly modified.

“Very well, very well. Then let's begin." Heimerdinger was using his teacher's voice, one Jayce was sure, Viktor should have heard for years, for hours. "We are lucky to have the notebook where it can be traced all the original sizes, modules, and teeth of the lost gears." Singed turned the notebook towards Jayce. "In your papers, you specified that the missing gears were only four from the twenty-seven. All are localized in the front and superficial part of the heart, which is good. You won’t need much mastery to fix it with the new parts.”

Jayce swallowed. “Twenty-seven gears?”

Heimerdinger nodded. “In total, yes. They regulate the heartbeat, blood flow, diastole, and systole movements. Of course, in the heart's insides are valvules and the main bellow that controls the rest of the parts."

“Inside the bellow is the magical stone that powers the mechanic heart, so it shouldn’t be a complex problem if the gears missing are from the external part.” Singed was drawing runes, his gaze directed towards each stroke of the pencil. “The prince would be unconscious and weak, but if the device gets fixed in time, he should wake up with no further damage."

“A-and what if…?”

“If the problem gets dragged for too long, the magic stone would still work, but the rest of the heart would begin to malfunction. First, the superficial layers, and then, the inside. So, blood would not arrive correctly. The comatose state would close off the body.”

Jayce’s eyes got blurry from frustrated tears. “…he would die.”

“Yes. But you’re here to avoid it, aren’t you?” Heimerdinger patted his shoulder. “Let’s begin with the bigger gears! They’re the easy part.”

There were no bigger gears in reality, the difference being a couple of centimeters between them. But Jayce didn't complain. Contrary to face a raging forge, Heimerdinger sat him on a sturdy table, a single hole in the artificial cave flooded with light the insides of the rocky place using a reflecting mechanism with mirrors.

“First, the familiar part.” He tended him a cut square of cast brass, a circle drawn in the middle of the surface. “Hammer it until the material thin a few millimeters. You would be able to hear the metal hardening when you click on it. Remember that it must sound lighter than it does now.”

“Like a bell?” Heimerdinger nodded.

“I would be making the equations to make the dents. Tell me if you need something.”

Maybe it was the strange calm of the room, cold and dark in the correct places, without guards marching in the surroundings every hour, or voices distracting him, but Jayce felt at ease there, a small hammer in his hands that felt lighter than a feather.

The next steps were more complicated.

When the hammering was done, it was time to cut it in a circle with the saw. With that task completed, Heimerdinger used sanding to polish the edges of the circumference. Jayce hammered all four planks of cast brass the first day, leaving them inside some blue liquid at night the fortify the constitution of the metal and avoid corrosion and breaking.

The second, third, and fourth days were all about cutting the teeth with the gear-cutting indexer, powered using Jayce’s movements. Moving the stone wheel responsible of making the cuts by turning was a foot pedal that made a bellow apply force over some ribbed strings attached to the stone’s pinion, making the stone wheel turn faster every time the foot pedal pumped air inside the bellow.

Heimerdinger was the one marking the size of the teeth. A modified pinion with a pointed end pulverized the metal of the gear until each dent was marked over the circle. It was a very repetitive and dull activity. But it was the most significant. Here, the utility of the gear was settled. If the dents were made incorrectly, then he must begin from scratch.

And Jayce didn’t have time to waste.

The first day he only made one gear. Heimerdinger was responsible to polish the teeth with the sanding, while Jayce was the one leaning against the machine, collocating the metal circle against the metal plate of the machine, aligning holes poked into it with the separation between dents.

That day, Singed had to waste around three candles when the night came and the gear was still unfinished. Jayce ended up with burning eyes and stiff shoulders, but the piece was done, pointy gears pinching against his fingertips.

It was the first time he could sleep at ease.

The next three days went faster, leaving the larger gears at the end so he could refine the process swiftly and efficiently with the little ones, the most complex stage, occupying a whole day creating each one, and the final day making two in a row.

Granted, he only slept a couple of hours. But with the provided food and progress in the material, it was more than enough.

The fifth and sixth days were all about finishing steps. Polishing, and molding the collets to embed the gears. And practice. Singed was scraping away the gears with runes and soaking them in shiny liquids while Heimerdinger and Jayce practiced with the oxidated gears of a scrapped clock inside the house.

“You must be fast and accurate. We don’t know how much time you would have, but it’s necessary to master it in order not to fall victim to fear and pressure.”

Jayce thought about his father, when he was watching him hammering away a sword or shoe horses. He always said it was like a mechanical puzzle, that in the end, every piece had to link with the other as perfectly as possible.

“Trust in yourself, young boy,” he said. "I'm sure Your Royal Highness does, too."

The final day at the cabin was to plan an infiltrate route inside the palace. With the ball celebration in honor of the new marriage proposal, a lot of new servants were temporarily hired to help in the kitchen, gardens, and the main hall. He could slide feigning being a new servants, the welcoming inspections held every Monday by Prince Andrew’s main butler.

Once inside, he would go to the tailors’ workshop and steal another guard's uniform again. And then, he’d repeated his escapade inside Viktor’s room. If he did it once, he could do it again.

Jayce left before dawn when Singed extended the gears inside a dark pouch that felt too soft to be filled with metal. He tried to open it to check them, but the alchemist put a hand over his, shaking his head.

“Not yet. Opened when you’re ready to act, young man.”

His words sent a chill down his bones, but he managed to nod. "Thanks, for everything."

“Do not forget our deal.”

Heimerdinger tugged his shirt. “Young boy, when you’re both ready to escape the palace, tell Viktor about the secret passage. We will be waiting there.”

Jayce’s brows frowned. Escape? He didn’t have a chance to think about it when he was making the gears, but it makes sense to run away from a power greater than yourself, especially if Viktor was in no position of fighting back.

He remembered the promise he made to his mother.

He nodded, mind absently. “Alright.”

“Good luck, young boy," Heimerdinger said reverently once he stepped out of the cabin and into the forest.

“You are going to need it,” Singed finished with his dark eyes twinkling mischievously.

*~*~*~*

By dawn, a multitude was lined up against the servants’ entrance of the palace. Guards flanked each side of the metal gates when they opened, servants guiding them inside the back courtyard for the general inspection. A carriage with vegetables entered before the people, its wheels rattling against the muddy road.

Jayce was the one conducting it inside the kitchen. Hopebringer was deeply buried inside vegetables and fruits. Even if he felt bad for knocking out the cart’s owner, at least he didn’t rob him. When he let it outside the kitchen area, sword tucked at his side, he went towards the tailors’ atelier.

“Excuse me,” Jayce murmured to a guard blocking his path to the room. “I’m lost. Could you tell me where’s the back courtyard where they’re holding the servant inspection?”

“How did you come to this wing?” The guard cursed something Jayce didn’t pay much attention to. “Keep walking, I’ll escort you.” He pushed him when Jayce couldn’t follow his hurried strides. Hopebringer shone against the sun. “Hey! It’s that a swo—”

“Too bad,” he said, taking the pouch Singed gave him and offered to the guard, whose eyes brightened even if before were filled with annoyance. “I was about to thank your kindness.”

The guard snatched it away from his hands, opening the pouch filled with gray dust. While he opened it, Jayce threw a hit with his elbow to the exposed jaw of the guard. The blow resonated in his bones, but Jayce didn’t have much time to recover from the surprise, dragging the body away until hid it inside some empty room used for storage. Jayce took one thin bar of metal and folded it around the handle, his hands used to the tough job of blending metal.

It wouldn’t hold very long, but it was enough for him to snuck inside Viktor’s former wing. Plus, the guard was knocked out, probably drugged with that strange dust. It should buy him a couple of extra hours.

With the guard's uniform on Jayce's body, he only needed to wait for the change of guard. While hidden down the stairs landing, the clock struck noon, but no footsteps went down, nor after or before the bells chiming. A heavy sense pulled inside his stomach, he began his journey up the staircase. His footsteps echoed into the eerily quiet hallways. When he arrived at Viktor's room proximities, he knew his suspicion was correct when bare walls welcomed him, ominous clearer spots where paintings hung not so long ago.

Running to reach the corner, he saw no guards in front of Viktor’s bedroom. His stomach fell, heartbeat shooting high inside his brain, rushing into his ears.

Was he too late?

The bedroom was empty, only big furniture remained, but all the belongings of the Crown Prince were gone. And he was gone, too. The spotless bathtub shining mocklingly against the sunlight that flowed down the window.

The phantasmagorical words stuck in the tense air. I will wait for you at the tower.

His hands became fists. He was about to turn around and going to the old wing, but a voice startled him.

"What the hell are you still doing here?! All the guards are expected by the old tower.”

Jayce tried to push the sword's handle away from the other's eyes. In case the shining gold could catch his attention. “A… apologies. I wanted to make sure nothing was left behind.”

The other wrinkled his top lip, clearly annoyed. "What lapdogs are all of you." He directed his chin out of the room. "Get out now. Let's go. We haven't finished cleaning this mess."

Jayce had to follow the guard's pissed-off steps, almost sprinting out the hallway, barely giving him space to fall behind.

“Are we going to clean it for the ball?”

The other grunted. “Sort of. Where have you been when all the instructions were given?”

“I took a leave a couple of days ago.” It wasn’t entirely a lie. "I just came back."

His companion mocked him. “How unlucky can you be? A lot of shit happened. We are commanded directly by the new Crown Prince, Your Highness Andrew, to clean this wing during the ball. He will use them starting tomorrow evening.”

“And I assume the tower is where all the stuff went?”

“Yeah. You’re brainier than you look. We are going to burn down that haunted place when the palace closes its gates and the ball gets officially inaugurated. The guests can’t wander outside the delimited area, so they wouldn’t know about the deed.”

“And…” He wasn’t sure to ask, but the words spilled out before he could contain them. “What about the forme—”

“Shut your mouth if you don’t wanna lose it." His blue eyes flicked with a sharpness that wasn't there before. “You never know who’s listening.”

Jayce nodded, a grimace covering his features.

They were descending the stairs, no other soul around. The guard leaned against Jayce.

“He’s dead.” He almost slipped off the stairs, hands firmly grasping the rail. “Prince Andrew announced his death yesterday at midnight. That's why his wing is empty now.”

“Why are all his belongings going to be burned?” Jayce asked, but he already knew the answer. To not leave traces behind.

“You know, to avoid curses." The guard scoffed. “So they said.”

They ended in the unkempt garden, where a dozen of guards were carrying Viktor’s things inside the old tower alongside gallons of petrol and oil, some straw scattered in between the objects. Jayce's heart shrunken painfully inside his chest. He wanted to scream to them to stop, to chase down Prince Andrew and make him pay for this monstrosity. But he needed to remain silent.

“Let’s fill this decrepit tower with all this garbage before the ball’s guests arrive so we can finally go to rest.” One of the guards said when he was piling up some books.

Passing near Jayce, the guard stopped briefly and said while extending him a gigantic oil painting of the late queen and Viktor as a child in his lap. "Put all these paintings on the last floor. Let's go! Move, move!" Behind him, frames lined up against the tower.

Most of the guards were filling the first floor. Clothing, books, and other personal belongings were tucked against the corners. Climbing the stairs awaken a deep ache of longing inside Jayce. How many times has he walked down and up these same steps, wishing to see Viktor’s silhouette at the end of the stairs?

Even the room was like before, frozen in time. As a curse or a blessing, he wasn’t really sure. It didn’t matter. Taking the painting into a corner of the room, he saw a half-hidden ball of white fabric tucked against two broken columns.

His heart pounded so hard he thought his ribcage wouldn’t hold his heart inside. The pouch tucked inside the stolen uniform was itching.

“Viktor?”

It was him. Colder than before and looking so white his veins could be seen in every part of his exposed neck. Looking behind him, he left the pouch out, a light blue-violet light floating like dust particles, minuscule stars filling his vision.

When he knelt next to Viktor, he ignored the rock fragments pressing on his skin. “I’m going to fix this.” He was about to open the little metal door in Viktor’s chest when a familiar voice mocked him.

“I know you were suspicious as hell.” The blue eyes of the guard were still cold, but now a spark of interest lighten them, looking at the open pouch and Viktor's body laying on the floor. "What do you think you are doing?"

Jayce wobbled when he stood up with a jump, unsheathing Hopebringer, and leaned it against the other's throat. His hand was trembling, but his blood was raging with adrenaline.

"Make a loud sound, and I'll kill you," Jayce growled. “Didn’t you tell me he was dead?”

The other laughed, passing his free hand over the blade’s edge. “You don’t have the guts.” He tilted his head, a cocky smile spreading his lips. “Good thing I lied to you, isn’t it?”

His jaw tightened, pressing the edge against the flesh. “Do you want to bet? You have no idea what I've been through just to be here again. I don't mind stepping further to fulfill my promise.”

The guard's eyes traveled to Viktor. "Can you help him, then? Are you sure of that?”

“And why do you care?”

"I'm not the only one who opposes the sudden power shift, it seems.” He raised his hands. “I’m offering you a deal.” His head pointed towards Viktor. “Promise me you can wake him up, and I’ll cover you.”

Jayce squinted his eyes. "No conditions? No shady deals?"

“Let’s say I owe him a favor, and this would settle it. Many people wish for Prince Andrew to fall, and the only person who seems able to do it lays in an abandoned tower about to be burned down.” With a shrug on his shoulders, Hopebringer slid off him. “That’s my shady deal.”

Singed words came to him in a cold waterfall. “Easier to say than to do, you know that, right?”

“While the former Crown Prince is alive, there’s hope, isn’t it?”

Jayce couldn't stop the faint smile on his lips. "I guess you're right."

“Then do we have a deal?”

He nodded, giving him his back. “Yes. But go away now. I need to work on this alone.”

“I will up the paintings up here, they will cover you in case anyone come to peek.”

“Like you, for example?” The other chuckled but didn’t answer. Jayce heard his steps coming up and down the steps while he worked in Viktor’s heart.

His fingers were shaking uncontrollably, palms covered with sweat to just thinking that Viktor’s life was—quite literally— in his hands. Jayce closed his eyes for a moment, easing his breathing. He isolated the heart, the piece of metal as if it were a clock. A magical clock that was still shining with a blue hue over the cracks of the missing gears.

Trust in yourself, young boy. I'm sure Your Royal Highness does, too.

Looking over Viktor's eyelids, Jayce landed a kiss on his brow. "I hope you trust me, Vik.”

He began to line up the gears by size. The runes carved by Singed shined with blue hues. The gears were warm even if they were inside the pouch. He had to take off the pinions and install the new gears, which mean disassembling the rest of the superficial gears, one by one, to not weak the catastrophic state Viktor was in already.

First the little ones, then the rest. He didn’t have a notebook with himself, so he had to concentrate especially on the order or the gears to not lose much time. It was harder than any clock Heimerdinger could've given him to practice.

Some gears were still moving, though slowly. Jayce had to press some places to liberate the pinion, making the heart stop entirely. That's why Heimerdinger told him to act fast and with precision. He didn't have much time to figure out the mechanism.

The dusk arrived and he was only halfway in the procedure. The guard ended up carrying the last object over, a change of clothes. He stood in the corner of his vision.

"It's all ready. They will begin to light up this place in an hour.” Jayce was extracting the third pinion. “Are you sure you can do this alone?”

Jayce grumbled.

"Well, if it is useful in some way. I didn't put any combustible here, the smoke would raise, but no fire for some time. But make sure to leave before the first plan collapse." The guard stepped at the beginning of the stairs. “I wish you success.”

Jayce was about to let him go, but he said. “Thank you.”

The other left without a word. One hour wasn’t enough to finish. And when the flames began to rise, warming up the ground floor, he still needed the last pinion. One single gear laid in the broken rock he was using was an improvised desk. The heart's movement grew stronger with each pinion and gear smoothly turning against each other’s dents. But that made the dissembling of the last part much more dangerous, the contracting movements blocking him to take away the part with care.

He took the thin pinion between his hands, smoke began to filter through the stairs. Calculating under his breath, he counted how much seconds it took for the pinion to turn around. When he was sure of the duration, he grasped the metal under his fingers and pull out. A couple of gears fell into Viktor's chest as he began to accommodate the missing gear and the rest in the metal between coughs.

There was almost no light.

“Come on, come on…” Between the heated ambient, he slid the pinion inside the heart, his fingertip catching in the turning. “Ow!” A small cut was on his finger. But the heart looked good. Looking at it, he saw the rest of the gears illuminate with similar runes carved in the new ones, moving hypnotically with their own rhythm.

When Jayce closed the metallic door to aisle the device, runes were glowing on the surface too, extending like a river flowing up Viktor’s veins.

“Viktor, please wake up.” They didn’t have much time. If the first floor collapsed, they were doomed. “Viktor…”

It was dark inside the room, like when they used to meet. In the black space, Viktor's veins began to glow with the same blue color as his heart, little by little fading away. Jayce didn't know if it was normal, so he only could take Viktor's hands between his, trying to soothe his turbulent mind.

Please wake up, please wake up, please wake up…

He tried his best to dress him up, hands shaking and tears covering his eyes from the smoke. Jayce went to crawl and prepare two fabrics to cover their mouth from the toxins.

“Viktor…” The movement in his chest grew noticeable by the bare eye. “Viktor, I’m already at the Tower. Can you hear me? I’m just waiting for you.”

Hiding his face against Viktor’s chest, he murmured: “Please come back to me.”

Some minutes went by, and Jayce heard Viktor's heartbeat resonate in his ears, mimicking his own. Tears were blurring his vision, with the room filled with smoke and the flames almost arriving at the staircase, his instinct screamed to run. But he couldn’t leave Viktor behind.

Pressing his hand, Jayce muttered his plea once again. Would they die like this? When he was so near to tasting victory?

He looked at the sword tucked by his side. Hopebringer. He had to believe.

“… Jayce?” Viktor’s voice was faint and dry. But it was him. “Am I… Is this real?”

He went to cradle his face between his palms. "Vik, you're alive!" He kissed him on the lips, even if they were cracked and dry, and his were wet from tears and swollen from biting them while working. "Let's get out from him."

Viktor was too weak to even stand up, but a healthy blush covered his cheeks and nose with pink hues. “Are we in the tower? Why am I smelling a fire?”

“Andrew planned to burn down the tower with all your belongings inside. Even you! We need a way to get out of here.” Jayce paused, carrying Viktor in his arms while he insisted to take the blade in his hands. "The first floor is totally on fire. We need another escape.”

Viktor's eyes shinned. "The secret passage." His head was resting against Jayce's chest. One slim hand signaled the end of the room. "There is supposed to be a secret entrance in that corner. Though be careful on descending, because it should be in worse conditions than the rest of the tower.”

“Better than die from smoke poisoning.” He put a piece of fabric in Viktor’s mouth. The prince extended his hand to covered Jayce’s.

Sure enough, the descending was tricky. Viktor had to piggyback Jayce to fit into the narrow staircase. The steps were too little and worn out, rock crumbling every time Jayce stepped down. When the cold of the rocks enveloped them, they took the clothing off their mouths.

“So, this tunnel?”

“All the royal residences have them. They’re emergency in provision for an attack." Viktor's jaw rested against Jayce's head. "They end in the forest."

“Where your tutor said he will be waiting for us. I… forgot to tell you that.”

Viktor coughed before he could exclaim louder. “How did you meet with my former tutor? I told him to run away.”

"It's… a long story." The stairs disappeared, and a long hallway covered in wooden supports from the ceiling, dusty cobblestones extended in front of them at a crossroad. "For another time."

“Pick the left one, I need to return for something.”

Jayce looked at him as he lost his mind. “Are you crazy? Do you want to come back to the palace?”

Viktor showed him his characteristic smug smile. “And who told you I’m coming back to the palace? No. We’re still going underground.”

The prince guided him to corridors that seemed the same for Jayce. But he trusted him. He always did. This new passage seemed different, covered in drawings and with wooden boxes aligned against the walls.

“This is the passage to my room. Ah—well, my former room,” Viktor explained. “Keep walking until you stumble across something, it shouldn’t be too long.”

“What—?” Jayce hit cold metal that made him fall backward, with Viktor, to the ground. "Shit, I'm sorry Vik! Are you okay?!"

“I am,” Viktor grumbled. “I’m not that delicate, Jayce.”

“Well, your heart certainly is."

“I said not that much, anyway.” His voice sounded afar, his body crawling against the dirty floor. Gentle taps made Jayce know he was tapping the metal block in front of them.

“What’s that thing? What’s doing here?”

Viktor's fingers were caressing the surface until they clicked a button. Blue light flooded inside the tunnel, outlining the tall, bulky silhouette of the metal block.

Well, it wasn’t a metal block.

“It’s my robot.” Viktor was still pale, but a smile adorned his face, leaning against the robot. It was as wide as the tunnel, his body was a ball, with gigantic hands and feet, a little, round head with two rounded blue lights as eyes.

“Do you have a robot?!”

“Yes, of course. I made it.” He looked like a proud dad while patting the metallic belly of the robot. “His name it’s Blitzcrank. I cannot go without him.”

With the sudden illumination, Jayce looked as Viktor hummed something as he pressed different buttons and valves. Activating patterns of runes with the same blue hue as the one that made his heart work.

“I… didn’t know you were so good with automatons,” he had to say, trying to convince Viktor of telling him the story without appearing bitter at the fact the prince didn’t tell him this little secret before.

“Well, you never asked.” Viktor was behind the robot, its gigantic body covering him from view. “But you knew I was pretty good at building automatic toys.”

“This—this isn’t a toy! It’s almost as big as the tunnel!”

“It took me years to complete. And it’s not the best part.” Viktor pressed his hand in the robot’s belly, opening a compartment where a shiny, irregular blue rock was installed, practically floating between the pieces of springs, pinions, and gears turning in perfect synchrony. With dexterous hands, he turned some valves that made the robot move his limbs sporadically, arches of lightning that connected wires into his body.

The robot tilted his head from side to side a couple of times, his eyes gaining brilliance.

“Hello, Blitzcrank.” Viktor limped in front of the robot.

The silence that followed made Jayce uncomfortable. "Um… why are you talking to the—"

Viktor raised a hand behind him. “Blitzcrank, wake up.”

Why are you talking to the robot as it could answer you?

A buzzing sound filled the tunnel.

“Father, it’s good to see you again! How much time has it been?”

“It’s difficult to know by sure, Blitz. But we’re safe now. Thanks to Jayce." Viktor gestured towards him, who wassticking against a tall wooden box to avoid his legs from collapsing. “Say hi, Jayce. Not be rude.”

His hazel eyes widened. “H-hi… Wait, wait a minute! The robot just called you ‘father’?”

Viktor shrugged. “Eh, minor details.” He turned to the robot. “Blitz, where did you put my spare cane?” The robot waddled to a large box behind them, further in the tunnel, carrying a simple cane made with wood and covered in a thin metal layer. “Thank you.”

“Do you want the books, too, Father? Or the jewels?”

“Both.” Viktor looked at Jayce. “As we are traveling incognito, we need to carry with us some of my family heirlooms and some books we might need."

Jayce's brows furrowed. "Wait, since when did you plan this?”

Blitzcrank was rummaging the contents of the boxes, piling books in his enormous hands. Then he let them inside a smaller box, still entranced by the trivial activity.

“Not all of it exactly. Almost dying wasn’t in my plan. But I’ve conjured some ideas about… running away.” Viktor shrunken, looking ashamed. Jayce felt heavy and numb.

“Would you have taken me with you?”

Viktor laughed softly, passing a hand filled with dirt and oil over Jayce’s cheek. “I wouldn’t be able to live with leaving you behind, Jayce.” His voice paused, eyelids fluttering with guilt. "But I would have never imagined it would happen so soon… I’m sorry, this is all my fault.”

“We will fix it.” Jayce hugged him. “We may not be able to do that now, but we will come back. Do you believe me?”

Viktor nodded barely, his face buried against Jayce’s chest. “We should get going. We need to get out of the capital before Andrew go the tower’s ruins tomorrow looking for my bones. Then he will know.”

Blitzcrank was looking at them with a tilted head. “There is no hug for Blitzcrank?”

Viktor chuckled, hugging the robot for a moment, even if his arms couldn’t surround his round frame.

“Can you walk, Vik?”

"Yes, about it... I was going to ask if can you carry me as you did before? I can walk, but not so fast." Jayce leaned back against a wooden box so Viktor could climb into his back comfortably. “Thank you. Blitz, keep the jewels inside the compartments in your chest until I told you is safe to give them back to me. I’ll lead the way.”

They seemed to walk for hours, back the way they were coming, and then, to a section in the tunnels that were crumbling and narrower, roots could be seen peeking through the ceiling, humid walls covered in moss. Blitzcrank had to shrink his extremities to pass through it. He looked like a ball with flippers as feet.

“We are near the exit. It shouldn’t be long.”

The last section was covered in ivy walls, mud stuck in the floor as they advanced. Jayce recognized the river gurgling not so far away. Cold air replaced the old, stagnant air inside the tunnels.

It was still dark, but a dim lamp swung in the gentle breeze outside. Jayce froze.

“Viktor—”

“Blitz, go check who is outside. You know how to proceed if it’s hostile, hmm?”

“Yes, Father.” He put the little box he was carrying down.

The robot shone like silver against the moonlight. Outside, Jayce could hear Heimerdinger's voice filled with amazement. "Oh heavens, I didn't imagine I would see you again, Blitzcrank!"

A few moments later, the robot peeked his head inside the tunnel. “He’s the professor, Father.” Jayce and Viktor advanced to the exit, where Heimerdinger and Singed were waiting with matching, dark cloaks. Two horses were grazing in a nearby tree, one of them with a little cart filled with pouches and wooden boxes.

Singed and Jayce nodded barely, while Heimerdinger sprinted towards Viktor, who was put on the ground lightly by Jayce. The man looked happier than ever, running around the former Crown Prince to check if he was wounded.

“We should leave now that the ball’s guests are crowding the main road. The knights won’t suspect.” Singed extended two more cloaks for Jayce and Viktor. They smelled like humid wood but fit just fine. “But I’m not so sure what to do with the robot.”

Heimerdinger smiled. “Oh, there’s no problem. We will say it’s a costume. Nobody is going to battle an eye.”

"Then it's settled. The blacksmith boy and the former crown prince would take this horse. Heimerdinger and I would take the other one. We will change horses at the inn a few kilometers away from the capital before dawn.”

In silence, they got on their horses. Heimerdinger took the box from Blitzcrank and tied it to the cart.

“His… Viktor, my boy, are you sure Blitz can follow our rhythm?”

He nodded, already hugging Jayce’s waist while his head rested in the crook of his neck. “Yes, professor. He would probably outrun us, too. Blitz, do not leave my side, alright? I don't want you to end lost."

“I won’t, Father.”

"Blitz, I have another command."

The robot got near the horse while they began to ride down the town. "Yes, Father?"

“While we are around other people, call me Master.”

Sparks ran towards Blitzcrank’s legs and feet while he easily matched the horses’ velocity. They looked like fireflies against the thick foliage of the forest. “I understand, Master.”

*~*~*~*

The curious group arrived at the harbor town Jayce promised to reunite with her mother in a month and a half. He had lost count of how many horses they traded or even stole to advance faster. Blitzcrank was the only one who wasn't tired to the bone when they entered the little village one afternoon at the end of the summer season.

Jayce’s mother was already well installed in a house near the sea where she established a tailoring house quite popular among the merchants. All of them tried to blend the better they could while the news of the royal marriage arrived not so long after their entrance.

Even if the Royal Family tried to mask themselves with an innocent and tranquil façade, the group watched groups of knights searching the town from time to time, obliging Viktor and Heimerdinger to hide in the forest outside town, or even in a boat at the sea.

Jayce worked as a blacksmith for the ships anchored at the docks, while Singed become sort of a healer with a fearful reputation, but excellent results. Even if, in the afternoons, the man disappeared silently from his apothecary.

Instead, he was inside Jayce's mother's house—that become a refuge for all of them—, in the underground level, teaching Viktor how to manipulate magic and craft even more vivid automatons with Heimerdinger’s help.

It was already night when Jayce walked to the end of the port and up the hill, wanted to go home and ask Viktor about today’s lesson. Every few days, Blitzcrank got upgraded with some spare parts Jayce crafted by indication in his free time. The robot was bigger, and his movements were more delicate than ever.

Sometimes it even looked as if he had his own consciousness, listening to Viktor read his books about mechanics and magic, or even talking with Ximena Talis while he was helping her clean the house.

Today, when he opened the door, the five tenants of the place were gathered in the dining room, all taking a seat around the dinner table—Blitzcrank was sitting on the floor, his body too heavy for a wooden chair to support his weight.

“What’s happening?” His stomach turned into a knot. Viktor didn’t smile when he appeared through the door.

“Sit, young man.” Singed gestured to the seat next to Viktor.

“We need to talk about an… urgent matter,” Viktor told him when he took the seat alongside. From the door, he couldn't see the object everyone was observing with anxious gazes, until now. A simple letter laid in the middle of the table, its wax seal hidden.

Jayce’s hands began to sweat. “Is… is this letter from the royal family?” When were they discovered? And how? “How much time do we have?”

Instinctively, he looked at his mom. Did he just doom her to confront the new rulers of the country? They should have left when they first arrived, when…

“It’s from a royal family overseas I’m familiar with since childhood.” Viktor cut his turbulent thoughts, taking his hand over the table, and pressing it so hard his knuckles were red. “It said they can give us a safe shelter against my stepbrother’s power now that he is ready to be crowned king.”

Jayce felt the air get stuck in his lungs, with only a muttered, choked sound getting out. So fast? It wasn’t even half a year before Viktor’s fake death. Once Andrew became prince, nothing would stop him to check under every rock to find his stepbrother and kill him once and for good. They would raid every town, looking for a young man with golden eyes who used a cane. Put a prince over Viktor’s head.

No forest could be of enough coverage.

“But there’s a condition.” Viktor frowned, holding the letter to Jayce so he could see the seal imprinted on it. “They want forge a war alliance with me…” Jayce's blood ran cold, shallow breathings while he grasped Viktor's hands as strongly as he could. “In exchange for taking back my throne."

#jayvik #jayce talis x viktor #Viktor x Jayce #jayvik fanfic #jayvikaugust #jayce talis #arcane viktor #arcane jayce #jayce/viktor #viktor/jayce #arcane viktor x jayce #arcane fanfic #arcane fanfiction #when the clock strikes midnight #my thingies :)

3 notes · View notes

pathetic-sapphic · 6 months

Note

arcane characters and their toxic traits in a relationship?

Arcane characters and their toxic traits

a/n: it is almost 5 am so i haven't proofread it yet ;; hope you'll enjoy it regardless

Tries to take on all the burden and suffering on her shoulders. She never wants you to get hurt or to bother you so she'd rather suffer in silence. This greatly affects your communication as she may get distant whenever she's dealing with some problems, which in turn may make you think that you did something wrong and that she's ignoring you. This simply comes from a traumatic past where Vi always had to take accountability and sacrifice herself for others. She will work on it once she sees the way it affects your relationship though. She just doesn't want to be a burden.

JINX

Very insecure when it comes to your love and loyalty towards her. Jinx is so used to thinking that everyone will eventually abandon her and you're the one person she really cannot lose. Because of this, she will often come off as overprotective and possessive. You will need to make your boundaries clear and reassure her often. Because she's so scared of losing you, sometimes she will go to drastic ends in order to make sure you're still happy with her and don't want to break up. Can also be very impulsive and has trouble sticking to the plans you two made.

CAITLYN

Can come off as insensitive when it comes to finances. Of course, she understands that many people aren't quite as well-off and Caitlyn genuinely cares for everyone but sometimes she doesn't quite understand how affluent she is. She might overwhelm you with expensive gifts, luxurious trips or over the top galas. She won't understand if you're ever hesitant when buying something or why you always make sure to see what's on sale at the market. It will take some time getting used to and you'll have to explain to Caitlyn the differences between your upbringings. Caitlyn isn't a judgemental partner, she just likes to spoil you, though she will tone it down if she notices you getting uncomfortable.

EKKO

Very stubborn when it comes to asking for or receiving help. He will push you away and hide his wounds or problems from you. Ekko is just so used to handling things on his own that he hates the idea of letting you bear his burden. He needs a long talk with you where you'll show him your support and help him realize the importance of confiding in one another. Ekko doesn't realize that it isn't a one-sided thing, meaning that if he helps you out when you need it, you'd do the same for him. Sure, he has the Firelights, many of them who are his friends but he rarely felt comfortable enough to confide in anyone. It's easy to forget that he is just a boy, trying to shoulder the weight of the world, and that he doesn't have to do it all alone.

SEVIKA

Surprisingly inexperienced when it comes to romantic relationships. Sevika rarely gets attached to someone, beyond the sexual sense. For her, lovers are people she sleeps with to release the tension and frustration that builds up during her shift. She never truly had a partner, someone to whom she can show her soft side, someone who will cherish her beyond her body and money. Because of this, she often struggles with showing love towards her partner in a non-sexual way or a way that doesn't include physical touch. Words. That is the biggest problem for Sevika; expressing her appreciation and adoration through kind declarations is something that will take a while for her to learn.

SILCO

Silco is often too focused on his cause towards Zaun and forgets his other priorities besides that one. This causes him to overwork and come off as cold towards anyone he deems a threat to his goal. Because of this, he may ignore his partner whenever he's stressed out and deep into work. He's also rarely home, and since he isn't a fan of PDA, it can be hard to deal with the feeling of missing him so much. He tries to make it up to you with gifts but you'll need to explain to him that such luxurious things cannot replace his touch and company.

VANDER

Similar to Vi (where do you think she got that trait from?), Vander is so used to shouldering everything on his own. He wants to assure for you to live a comfortable and fulfilled life, even at the cost of his own happiness. He works tirelessly to keep the Last Drop and the Lanes afloat and seldom shares the workload with you. You can see how the stress wears him down but he will deny it until he completely bursts under pressure. Vander doesn't understand how much it hurts to see him like this, but some kind words and gentle touches can help when coaxing him into leaning on you too.

VIKTOR

Workaholic who never takes care of himself. So burdened down with the little time that he has left, Viktor doesn't plan to waste any of it by doing trivial stuff such as eating or resting. As loving as he is, Viktor can be an insanely stubborn partner. You'll probably have to hoist him over your shoulder and lock the door to his office in order to take him away from work for a couple of hours. He doesn't realize just how detrimental the negligence when it comes to taking care of himself is to his health. You need to explain to him that he won't get anywhere by working himself to the grave and you'll probably have to beg him to let you take care of him.

JAYCE

As smart as he is when it comes to his field of work, Jayce can be quite dense and heedless of other people's feelings. If you're the type of person who doesn't know how to talk about their problems or struggles with communication, there will be some issues in your relationship with Jayce. He's the type of person who asks you what's wrong and, once you give him a half-assed 'Nothing, I'm fine.', he goes all 'okay :D', pats your back and wanders off. You need to be direct and blunt with him because hints and exaggerated sighs simply won't do the trick.

MEL

Mel is an incredibly intelligent woman who knows how to get what she wants. This means that she can be quite manipulative at times, I mean you have to be if you want to succeed in politics. She'd never act that way with you on purpose, of course not, but it may happen unintentionally. She is also another workaholic who may appear too cold with her feelings but this is simply because she's hesitant to bring her walls and defenses down. It'll take a lot of time and patience to see her vulnerable side.

GRAYSON

Grayson is sort of a combination between Viktor and Vander; works too much and is too selfless for her own good. Grayson takes her job very seriously, safety of the citizens is of the utmost importance to her. This leads to her neglecting her own well-being and health. Lots of caffeine and many long nights in the office are spent by Piltover's Sheriff and, the older she gets, the more it wears down on her. It's hard to ignore the bags under her eyes or the tiredness in her voice as she drags herself into your shared home late at night.

AMBESSA

Quite cold and guarded, someone who doesn't appreciate or understand feelings like mercy or kindness. She believes that every single person is inherently selfish and wants something from her. This is why she doubts your good nature so much in the beginning. It has been a long time since Ambessa let herself get involved romantically with someone so she has a lot of re-learning to do. This may come with a cost of your feelings being hurt from time to time, especially if you're a sensitive and kind-hearted person. As much as Ambessa loves you and tries to show that, it isn't easy to sweep years of experience under the rug. You'll need to be strong while she gets used to upholding a romantic relationship.

CASSANDRA

Cold and regal, oftentimes comes off as strict. Cassandra only wants the best for you but sometimes she just doesn't know how to say it. So instead she might go behind your back in order to ensure your safety and happiness. This often backfires, especially because of your opposing opinions. You feel as if she's treating you like a child while Cassandra simply thinks that she's looking out for you. Is also insanely stubborn, it'll take time for her to learn to look at things from your perspective.

#arcane #arcane x reader #arcane headcanons #sevika x reader #grayson x reader #viktor x reader #vi x reader #caitlyn x reader #jinx x reader #ekko x reader #silco x reader #vander x reader #ambessa medarda #jayce talis #mel medarda

1K notes · View notes