Chapter Text
The chattering of students filled the room as the freshmen piled into the classroom. Viktor sat at the front with his cane leaned against the desk, a thoughtful expression on his face. At 8 am sharp, he grabbed his cane and stood up, tapping it against the ground to bring attention to the front. The students quieted down and looked nervously at the front where he stood. He cleared his throat before speaking, his voice clear and authoritative.
“Welcome to Piltover high school! I’m Viktor Herald, and I’m gonna be your science teacher. You should be well aware of my rules, and those who break them will be punished fairly.” Murmurs spread around the class, and he threw a stern glare around the classroom before continuing. “Deadlines exist for a reason, unless you have a good reason I do not want to hear any excuses. Food and drinks stay outside of the classroom and you listen to me unless I tell you otherwise.” He paused, then he continued: “I will not hesitate to tear your test up if you cheat.”
Once he was finished he looked around the classroom, making sure he had been clear. The clear divide between Zaunites and Pilties was slightly concerning and he made a mental note to assign the seating so that the groups had to socialize. The first years looked around at each other and then back at him, probably trying to figure out if he was serious. Good, he thought. Then he started explaining the plans for the upcoming year and the students relaxed slightly.
At the sound of the bell ringing, Viktor heard the class let out a collective sigh of relief. He tried to suppress his smirk. He followed the stream of the students, but instead of turning left with the rest of the stream, he turned right and walked towards the math classroom. He knocked carefully and turned the doorknob at a familiar voice inviting him inside.
“How were they? Did you make sure to scare them?” Jayce had his back turned, but his voice carried clearly across the classroom. Viktor chuckled.
“I would say they were properly scared, yes,” his accent peaking out extra on the ‘yes’ as he tried to keep a deadpan tone. It was hard when Jayce shone as bright as the sun. He checked Jayce’s schedule, where it laid on his desk alongside some papers with random notes. A few drawings, a doodle of Jayce’s mother and even one of Blitzcrank that warmed Viktor’s heart. Jayce’s next class was in 5 minutes.
“Well I bet they’ll be surprised to know you’re a total softie,” Viktor tried to protest but was quickly silenced by Jayce’s knowing glance and a hand on his shoulder, the heat from Jayce’s huge palm leaving a trail of warmth where it touched him. Viktor coughed, and made some excuse about needing to prepare for class before he rushed as quickly as his leg would let him out of the classroom. It’s embarrassing that Jayce still had that effect on him, like he was one of the lovesick teenagers he worked with every day. He grabbed the front of his shirt tightly and took a few deep breaths, he really did have somewhere to be.
The next class was mostly the same, a few nervous first years, except there was one girl who stood out. Her hair was bright blue and she was fidgeting with her pen while her eyes flew around the room, rarely staying in one spot for long. She was chewing on her lip absentmindedly, but Viktor didn’t get the feeling that she wasn’t listening. In some way he saw his younger self in her.
When checking attendance he made sure to take note of her name, Powder. He noticed her flinching slightly when he called her name. He went through his usual monologue for the first years (Jayce would call it a scare tactic, Viktor didn’t care about Jayce’s teasing).
After class he got stopped just as he was about to leave.
“Hi.” Powder’s tone was almost accusatory, defying. Her facial expression screamed confidence but her body language said something else, she was fidgeting nervously. Her gaze was trained intensely somewhere in his face, but never on his eyes. She waved her hand in front of his face. Viktor snapped out of it.
“It’s Jinx,” Viktor must have looked confused because she continued. “My name,” her gaze felt almost challenging, like she was expecting him to argue. “Okay,” a flash of surprise passed over her face until she quickly schooled it back into her confident expression. He nodded at her as she turned around and left. For a few seconds, he just stood there. Then he walked towards the breakroom.
He was so deep in thought while heating up his food that he almost left the fork in the microwave, something about Jinx intrigued him. He didn’t even notice Jayce walk in as he pushed his food around in the plastic container. When the hands landed on his shoulders he let out an incredibly dignified screech and flew up into the air.
“Jayce you cannot touch me like that, it will lead to an early grave,” Jayce was quick to retreat his hands with an apology, the rejected look on his face made Viktor’s chest hurt and he almost wanted to take back what he had said, but his pride wouldn’t let him. Instead he invited Jayce to sit next to him to eat his salad.
They discussed their days, Jayce had apparently had a run-in with a very irritated Caitlyn who was rambling about a “brutish, undignified pink haired woman lacking any class” (Caitlyn’s own words). Viktor relayed the little information he had gotten about Jinx to Jayce, who listened carefully to what he was saying, despite the little (and probably uninteresting) information that Viktor had managed to collect.
—
The students outside of his classroom turned at the familiar sound of his cane. They started chattering with him as soon as he reached them, asking about his break. Maria was telling him a story about a new idea she had, he hummed politely as he looked for his keys but was in all honesty not listening. Vi was standing a safe distance from the rest of her class, glaring daggers into Caitlyn Kirammans side. Which, honestly, could have been scary had she not been pouting. As Viktor got the door open, Vi walked into the classroom sulking, with her head bowed low and her hands deep in her pockets. It was a very amusing sight. Caitlyn on the other hand stood with her head as tall as always. She looked unaffected by the whole ordeal.
He let the students talk for a bit and catch up before tapping his cane against the floor. The attention turned to him as he quickly went through the curriculum for the year. He tried to keep the topic school related, but was quickly sidetracked when the students started asking him questions. He answered them happily, glad to be with a class he knew and recognized again after having multiple freshmen in a row. When the class ended Vi was still sulking, albeit slightly less. She glared at him when she saw his small smile, which only made him smile more. She stomped out.
His cane echoed in the empty halls as he made his way towards the exit. He was very grateful when he saw the bus timetable saying the bus would be there in 2 minutes, considering all benches were taken and no one seemed willing to stand up for him which meant he would have to wait standing up. He leaned against the wall hoping to take some weight off his leg. It barely helped. The bus wasn’t any better, but at least a little girl stood up when she saw him. He thanked her and hoped his smile didn’t come off too strained.
Only fifteen minutes, then he would be home on the couch with Blitzcrank in his lap reading a good book. At least the world outside of the bus was green and sunny. A small bandage.
The elevator was luckily working as it was supposed to (it was always a gamble, even in the nicer parts of Zaun. At least the house had an elevator). When he unlocked the door, Blitzcrank was staring up at him with big eyes. He was chubby, but Viktor just couldn’t resist those adorable eyes staring up at him. He definitely spoiled the cat too much.
“Yeah, yeah you will get your food,” he got the food in the kitchen and carefully bent down to feed the cat. He hissed as a stab of pain hit him and stood up carefully, trying to avoid putting weight on his leg.
He limped into the living room and got a random book from his bookshelf. He situated himself on the couch, stretching his leg out and getting comfortable. It only hurt a little bit when he straightened it. He opened the book and let himself get absorbed in the story, only pausing when Blitzcrank jumped into his lap to move himself to be more comfortable for the cat and himself alike.
His breathing calmed and his eyelids got heavier as he kept on reading in his brown couch, the one he bought specifically because it was the perfect height to sit down without pain. His brace was starting to itch and he took it off before he accidentally fell asleep with it, knowing his leg would punish him if he did. His clothes were scratchy, but comfortable enough. The walk from the couch to his bed seemed impossibly long so he let sleep overtake him in the couch with the book balanced comfortably on his chest and Blitzcrank as a comforting weight on his legs.