#hesitantromance

Summary: He let you in once, for a moment. But now, Viktor is learning that healing isn’t a one-time thing it’s a choice. And maybe this time, he’s ready to choose you. No theories, no projections, no fear. Just something real. Pairing: Viktor x Reader Word Count: ~1,300 Warnings: Emotional healing, soft intimacy, slow-burn comfort, gentle kiss

The next few days were… quieter.

Not empty, not silent just gentler.

Viktor still worked, of course. He was Viktor. But something had shifted. He paced less. Snapped less. You even caught him eating on his own once, like he remembered he had a body to care for and not just a brain to race.

He still hadn’t said much about that night the one where he let himself lean on you. Where he’d admitted, in a whisper, that you made him want to stay.

But the way his eyes lingered when you handed him tea, the way his fingers brushed yours when you passed notes, the way his shoulders relaxed when he realized you were nearby those were confessions in their own way.

You didn’t need grand declarations. You just needed the truth.

He was scribbling calculations on the glass wall of the lab when you walked in again. The faint scent of ink and ozone clung to him, and you could see he was in one of his deep spirals not frantic, but somewhere else.

“Hey,” you said softly, leaning your hip against the desk. “How long have you been up?”

“Two hours,” he said automatically. Then paused. “…Since the second sunrise.”

You blinked. “Viktor. That was yesterday.”

He turned, sheepish. “Ah.”

You crossed the room, tugged the pen from his hand, and took both of his in yours.

“You promised me,” you murmured, voice gentle. “No more burning out.”

He opened his mouth to argue because of course he did but then he looked at you. Really looked. The tired curve of your mouth, the faint worry in your eyes.

And for once, he didn’t argue.

“I’m trying,” he said quietly. “I don’t always know how.”

You brought one of his hands to your lips and pressed a kiss to his knuckles. “Then let me help you remember.”

That night, he didn’t go back to the lab bench.

Instead, you found yourselves on the old couch again, tangled together in the hush of the workshop, your legs across his lap as you half-read an old book aloud.

Viktor wasn’t listening, not really. His gaze was on you not intense, just soft. Like watching you breathe was enough to keep him grounded.

You lowered the book.

“What?” you asked, teasing.

He shook his head. “I don’t know how I lived before you. It all seems… louder now. Sharper. But easier, too. Like I was moving through fog before.”

You rested your hand over his heart. “That’s how I feel when you let me in.”

He swallowed. “It scares me.”

“I know.”

There was silence.

Then so carefully, it almost broke you—he touched your face, brushing a stray piece of hair behind your ear.

“I think I’m tired of running,” he said, voice barely above a whisper. “Tired of thinking the next breakthrough will make the fear go away.”

You leaned in. “Then stop running. Start staying.”

He didn’t move.

So you did.

Your lips brushed his soft, lingering, not urgent. Just there. Like a promise.

When you pulled back, Viktor’s eyes were glassy. Not from tears. Just from everything.

He smiled. “You make me believe I deserve this.”

You kissed his forehead next, and rested your brow to his.

“You do.”

Later, with his head in your lap and your hand combing gently through his hair, he murmured, “You really are the only one who ever understood me.”

You smiled. “Good. Then I’m not going anywhere.”

And for the first time in what felt like forever, Viktor slept not from exhaustion, but from peace.

A/N: Here's Part 3 of "Imagine Being the Only One Who Understands Viktor". Hope u like it! Don't forget to Like, Share & Subsrcribe ! ❤️❤️❤️❤️