#viktorarcanesecretsanta

He gives you a sad smile in return, reaching out to take your hand in his own from where he sits on the edge of his desk in the lab.

“I’m sorry,” he says, genuine apology lacing his words. “If I had any other choice-“

You sigh, cutting him off as you step closer to him, lacing your fingers with his own.

“I know, Viktor.” You assure him, but you don’t stop the way your head falls forward defeatedly to rest on his chest. “It’s just…it has to be through Christmas? Heimerdinger couldn’t have planned it for afterwards?”

Viktor sighs, and you can feel him shake his head as his free arm comes up to wrap around you, hand rubbing soothingly up and down your back.

“Unfortunately this is the only time frame that works for this particular research assignment. The scientist we are to meet can only do so during this time.”

You nod. “Okay…I’ll be okay.” You tell him, pulling away to give him another weak smile. “Can you at least write to me?”

Viktor smiles, eyes sparkling more than before. “Of course, I’ll write to you every chance I have.”

———

The news had come a few weeks ago, and the day Viktor, Jayce and Heimerdinger are to leave has snuck up on you just as fast as the holiday season has. Something Viktor points out as you help him pack the last of his things into his bag.

“I’m surprised you haven’t started decorating,” he says absently, folding a shirt neatly, “you typically have the tree up already,” he teases.

You shrug, the mention of the upcoming holiday drawing on the morose mood you’ve been trying to hide.

“I just…don’t feel like decorating this year.” You offer quietly, taking the shirt from him to place in his bag, not meeting his worried gaze.

“But…you love Christmas. You should enjoy it! We are due to be back a few days after, so we can have our own celebration when we return.”

He sounds so genuine, voice pitched upwards as he tries to lighten your mood. You have to hold back the sigh that threatens to slip out.

It’s not Viktors fault they got called away by Heimer. Hextech is bigger than anything they’ve ever done, more like important than anything. You shouldn’t be making Viktor feel guilty for something he can’t control, especially over something so trivial as a holiday.

You’ll get to spend more Christmases with him in the future. Missing one isn’t the end of the world, even if it does make you sad you won’t have him around.

Finally, you turn to face Viktor, lips tugged up into as good of a smile you can muster. “You’re right,” you tell him, leaning in to press a kiss to his cheek. “We’ll celebrate when you get back.”

Seemingly happy with your response, you can see the way his shoulders sag slightly his worry abating with your answer. He smiles, leaning over to zip his bag shut.

“It’s settled then,” he says, leaning in to capture your lips with his own in a shirt kiss before pulling away. “Do you still want to see me off?”

You smile, taking his bag in one hand and his hand in the other. “Wouldn’t have it any other way.”

———

It feels like weeks since you watched Viktor and Jayce board the airship with Heimerdinger at the hexgates. You had watched them, waving goodbye until they ascended out of your eyesight. Watched until the magical blue beam of light enveloped them and sent them away in a dazzling display of dissipating blue and nothing was left but empty sky above.

It felt like weeks. But it’s only three days into their three week long trip.

Viktor’s words had invigorated you at first. Made you determined to have a good holiday despite the strings tugging at your heart in his absence. The moment you had arrived back at your shared apartment, you had dug out all the storage trunks that held your Christmas decorations and the artificial tree. But as you opened them and started to dig…it made the emptiness in your chest even deeper instead of filling it like you’d hoped.

Every ornament reminded you of a moment you and Viktor spent decorating last year. The little trinkets he’d built to decorate the apartment just served as another reminder that he wouldn’t be here to celebrate with you this year.

The trunks end up shoved against the wall and you end up cocooned in a blanket in the bed that still feels to big with him gone.

You kept telling yourself that you would put the decorations up before Christma, but soon, the days started to slip by in the blink of an eye.

And the closer the holiday gets the more lackluster you start to feel. You aren’t angry or upset in anyway. And the letters you’ve received from Viktor have helped but…

With every happy couple or wrapped gift or decorated tree you see…it all just serves as a reminder of what you’re missing.

Who you’re missing.

Christmas Eve descends upon piltover before you even realize it, the only thing reminding you of the holiday being the fact you don’t have to go into work. Your apartment is as bare as the day Viktor left, and you can’t help but feel a little disappointed in yourself.

You did exactly the thing Viktor didn’t want you to do.

But it’s too late now. Darkness having descended upon the city hours ago and drawing the holidays eve to a close. The only thing that keeps you from being too upset is the reminder that Viktor will be home in a few days, and you can at least give him the gift you got for him.

You did manage to wrap those, even if there wasn’t a tree to put them under.

Without much more thought, you turn off the lights and tetreta to your bedroom, door shut behind you before you crawl into bed.

Unconsciousness consumes you quickly, and you fall into a dreamless sleep.

————

Lately it has been the gentle streaming of sunlight that’s been waking you up. But this morning, the thing that pulls you from your death like slumber is the smell of breakfast acting through the air.

Almost in a trance, you rise from bed, a small smile on your face as you tug on a soft robe and head towards the door.

It’s only when your hand brushes the cool handle do you seem to snap fully awake. Confusion tugging at your sleep-addled mind.

The smell of…breakfast? But you’re the only one here so who….

Without thinking you open the door quickly, determined to figure out what is happening. But instead of your darkened bare living room, you’re met with something else entirely.

The Christmas tree is up, lights strung haphazardly in its branches along with random clumps of tinsel and sporadically placed ornaments.

Conversely, a handful of presents sit neatly wrapped beneath the tree, the shiny paper twinkling under the colorful lights.

Your brain feels as if it is churning through mud, unable to make sense of the scene in front of you. Unable to make sense of the paper snowflakes having from the ceiling or one of Viktors trinkets set up and playing a delicate holiday tune.

Finally, the only thing that seems to make you realize this isn’t some dream is the appearance of the one person you’ve missed most the past few weeks.

Viktor appears from the kitchen, cricut tucked under his arm while the other adjusts the crooked Santa hat on his head. He smiles when he sees you, eyes crinkling slightly.

“I was beginning to wonder if you’d planned to sleep all day.”

You're halfway across the room before the rods even leave his lips and I’m his arms by the time they do.

He smells like home. Warm and comforting and everything you’ve been missing. His arms wrap around you just as tightly, a quiet chuckle meeting your ears.

“I missed you too,” he says and you can hear the smile in his voice. “I made breakfast.”

You pull away from him, lips pulled back in a wide grin despite the confusion still tugging at your brows.

“I know I…I smelled it from the bedroom. But Vik I…you were supposed to be home for another few days w-what are you doing back and -“ you turn to look back at the living room, “what is all this?”

Viktor let’s put a low hum as you turn back to him, hands falling to yoeu waist as he gives you another small smile.

“We finished up early and decided to come home. I had planned to surprise you last night but when I came home and didn’t see a single decoration…” he trails off, fixing you with a firm look. “Why didn’t you decorate?”

You shrug, avoiding his questioning gaze in favor of nuzzling into his chest.

“It just…didn’t feel like Christmas without you,” you mumble, hugging him tighter.

He sighs, but presses a kiss to the crown of your head nonetheless, rubbing a soothing hand up and down your back.

“Well I’m here now, and I fully intend on making up for the time I was gone. How about we start with breakfast and then open gifts, Hm?”

He tugs at you gently, urging you to look up at him. When you comply with his silent request, you can’t stop the warmth that blooms in your chest as gold eyes meet your own.

You smile, lensing up to press a quick kiss to his lips.

“That sounds perfect.”

And as Viktor leads you into the kitchen you fully believe your words. You may have missed Viktor, but he’s here now and it’s never felt like more of a Christmas morning than it does right now.