Valyterei

You could just feel the knots in your shoulders as you stripped your clothes off. The steam wafts from the spout, flowing into the modestly sized bathtub in your apartment somewhere in the Academy District in Piltover. It was an incredibly long day at work, and you’re simply very excited to get the rest of your clothes removed and hop into the bathtub.

The clothes fly into the hamper in the corner of the bathroom and you slide into the water without a second thought. You nearly let out a groan at the feeling of it. There’s something to be said about how the feeling of being boiled alive from hot water makes all of your muscles turn into jelly.

Your job isn’t nearly as arduous and back-breaking as your girlfriend’s, but you’re not tough like her. She’s a Zaunite, you’re just a woman from Piltover working a day job at a research facility for Hextech. Funny how things work out like that; you’re one of the leads in Hextech and your girlfriend just so happens to be an avid user of Hextech gauntlets.

THUNK!

Speaking of your girlfriend…

“Babe?” Vi calls out, her voice echoing down the hallway of your apartment. You can hear the sound of the Atlas Gauntlets cooling down, whirring and hissing. It prompts you to wonder how much you’ll have to fix before you go to bed tonight.

“In the bathroom!” You reply back. Footsteps come down the hall— Vi can’t be quiet or sneaky to save her life— and the door opens. Pink hair and grey eyes peek into the steamy bathroom; you’re thankful that the bubbles in the bathtub are doing their job in covering up all of the bits, otherwise Vi would be ogling you very hard right now.

“Hi,” she says, waving her hand. “Can I come in?”

“Of course, darling,” you say. “How was work?”

“Cait and I chased down a jackass all the way into the Lanes again,” Vi says, shutting the door behind her. She peels off the vibrant red jacket you’ve come to adore, even if it desperately needs dry cleaning to get rid of the chemical smell of fumes and gas. Vi undoes the wraps around her hands that protect her skin from the inside of the Atlas gauntlets. “He was one of the smugglers for Shimmer. Had to take him out of the equation.”

“Are you hurt?” You look over her for any obvious injuries, but nothing comes immediately into concern. You’ve come to expect the bruises speckled around her skin like freckles from the punches she takes, but you don’t see any blood. That can only be a good sign.

“Nope. Cait put a bullet in his knee and we dragged him back Topside so he can be shipped off to Stillwater,” Vi says. She undoes the buckles of her pants and pulls them down. You turn your eyes away to give her a modicum of privacy. You know she doesn’t mind it when you stare; she enjoys it, actually. Vi comes closer to the tub, her clothes fully shed. “Scoot up.”

You’re suddenly thankful that the basin is big enough for the both of you. The water sloshes and the bubbles shift when Vi slips behind you. When she’s in, you lean your back to her front, grinning like a fool when her arms wrap around you from behind and she places a kiss on your cheek.

“Missed you today,” you say. Vi’s hands rub over the skin of your stomach, moving down to caress your thighs underneath the water. She hums low and deep into your ear, causing a giggle to come out of you.

“Missed you more, baby girl,” Vi replies. You can feel the calluses of her fingertips pressing into your knees, gently guiding them apart. You can't help the way your breath hitches in the back of your throat; Vi does this so effortlessly all the damn time. You’re well aware of how attractive your girlfriend is— you can feel the ridges of her stomach on your lower back, a well-defined abdomen that comes from years of fighting and surviving.

But more than that, the care in which she holds you and regards you is enough to make you feel like you’re on a pedestal and she’s worshipping the ground in front of you. Your heart starts beating a little faster and your lower stomach turns even warmer from anticipation.

“This okay?” Vi asks, her fingers kneading into the muscle of your thighs. You can’t trust yourself to speak so you just nod instead, but she’s clearly uninterested in a physical response. “Lemme hear you, baby.”

“Yes, fuck, please,” you whisper, grabbing onto anything— the edge of the bathtub, her ripped as fuck thigh… you can’t hold back the whimpers when Vi’s hand finally moves over your most sensitive parts, her fingers long and strong. The feeling of the hot water around you does nothing to quell the heat rushing up your neck and cheeks, untamed and uncontrollable with Vi whispering sweet nothings into your ear as her hands work you towards the edge.

Fuck, she’s so fucking good at this. How did you get so lucky? It baffles you endless that of all people, Vi chose you. A Piltie who helped clean up the wreckage of the Council Chamber explosion because you just wanted to help.

And now here you are, being brought to orgasm by Vi’s fingers. You don’t even want to look at her face because you just know she looks smug as hell and what you really need right now is to fucking come. Or else you might go insane.

So much for a relaxing bath.

“C’mon, pretty girl, you’re almost there, I can feel it,” Vi murmurs gently. While her fingers slide in and out of you with motions that make your legs shake, her other hand glides up your stomach to your chest, smearing the bubbles over your skin to squeeze your breasts. She’s right, she’s fucking right because you’re right there and you can’t stand it anymore.

She knows exactly how to pull an orgasm out of you and it turns you on so much that your brain can’t think of anything else other than Vi, Vi, Vi. You turn your head to kiss her; it’s unfocused, it’s sloppy, your tongues sliding against each other. Part of you can barely do it, just huffing and breathing into her mouth as your entire body seizes. Vi sucks on your bottom lip, biting it between her teeth.

A small, rushed “fuck” comes from your mouth. You hold onto her, your core tightening as her thumb rubs over the most sensitive part of you with practiced ease.

You break.

When you come, it’s with a moan into the air of the bathroom. Vi’s fingers slow, turning gentle just the way you like it, or else you risk getting overstimulated too fast and too soon. Vi presses kisses to your jaw and temple as your entire body just melts into her like putty. Vi pulls her fingers out of you with a small apology.

“How do you feel?” Vi asks.

You can’t speak, so you just make a noise that hopefully gets your point across. Vi laughs, full-bodied with adoration. She brushes some of your hair off of your forehead from it stuck to your skin because of the steam. You squeeze her thighs in appreciation and she holds you tighter to her.

After some time, when you finally have the bodily function of speaking again, you whisper, “Thank you.”

“Always,” Vi says. “You know my favorite thing to do is help you feel good.”

“Mhm, you do a great job at it,” you hum, tilting your head back to rest on her shoulder. You kiss the underside of her jaw. “I love you.”

“Love you more, baby,” Vi says.

You stay in her arms until the bathwater runs cold, and even then, you simply brush your teeth and wash your face side by side until you crawl into your shared bed. You wrap yourself around her, knowing that she likes being the little spoon more, and you fall asleep to the sound of her soft breathing.

~~~~~

Vi might be extremely emotionally reserved, but not around you she isn't.

Literally like a horny frat bro. Will compliment or grab at your boobs or your ass at any given time because oh wow she loves your body.

Once you have her liking you, buckle down, cause you just gained a partner for life, buddy, she'll follow you around like a puppy dog.

Likes teaching you how to fight and throw a punch, and if you already know how to, she likes to get in play fights with you. Maybe on occasion, she'll even let you win.

Even though you do love her, her temper is extremely short. You know she wouldn't ever physically hurt you on purpose, but yelling matches aren't uncommon. She's too hot-headed, and you're too stubborn to back down.

makeup sex ensues.

Y'all know that one picture of two girls putting eyeliner on each other?

You can decide who's who, but holy shit. (y'all are absolutely boning after this.)

Loves taking you to the prettiest places Zaun has to offer. Likes taking you sightseeing.

Romantic relationships aren't her strong suit, so she likes that you're patient and understanding with her, even if she does get a little frustrating sometimes.

matching finger tattoos?!?!? YES?!!!!?!?! (thinking a ☽ and a ☆ but honestly if you have any better ideas, go for it.)

Watching her work those mechanical fists is absolutely magical (and lowkey a turn-on).

You are getting promise rings. No objections. If you have any protests, go argue with a wall. She is possessive and wants something to show others you belong to her.

You both share an annoyance for topsiders.

She is the biggest cuddle bug. She takes physical affection more seriously than verbal affection. Just holding her pinky with yours means a lot more to her than an 'i love you'.

Her nicknames are everywhere. From cupcake to sweetcheeks, to sugar tits, to literally anything else she can think of. It's actually really cute.

She's so physically fit, you could spend hours just running your hands up and down her biceps, I mean she is ripped.

Likes it when you ask her to tell you stories of her past. Adventures she used to go on. Unlike Jinx, Vi looks to her childhood fondly and only likes to focus on the good rather than dwell on the bad.

Never hand this woman a sharpie cause she'll doodle on your hand whenever she gets a chance. Loves drawing small things on you from time to time out of her own enjoyment.

You two may or may not get a cat together, who knows, that's for you to decide, and she may or may not name it cupcake. ("Look, cupcake! It's Cupcake!")

She somehow convinces you to get your nipples pierced, and if it isn't already, your nose as well. She's a sucker for piercings.

Has a strange obsession with kissing random parts of your face at random times. She wakes up before you? Boom. Kiss on your eyelids. You say something really cute? Bam. Kiss on your nose.

NSFW

TOP TOP TOP TOP TOP

Literally the most top bitch you will ever meet oh mY GOD.

She is literally so hot when she tells you what to do or when she praises you.

"Fuck, my good girl, aren't you?" "Such a precious thing" "On your knees, you know what to do, cupcake."

She can give you the most mind-blowing head and still be insatiable. You have to physically push her away to get her to stop. She could spend all day between your legs (please let her)

Loves to play with your tits, whether it's sucking, licking, biting, anything. She loves your water balloons and if you don't let her touch them, she gets grumpy.

No, because she has such defined abs, you already know she's gonna make you ride them. Seeing you on top of her and panting as you drag your swollen clit across her 6-pack just- oh my fucking god jhsdothoirhtoihoifht.

The best person at aftercare in the world, always super attentive, especially if you slip into sub-space.

Candles? Food? Bath? Water? Cuddles? Literally, ask and she'll get it for you.

“You have many of those, Viktor. You’re a scientist. An inventor. Theories and you go hand-in-hand.” You made a pointed effort not to linger on him. If you did, you’d only take in the tall, lean frame you enjoyed looking at more than a friend should.

His cane thumped on the floor as he approached you. What was once a potent scent of vanilla and cinnamon became an overwhelming coffee--a staple in Viktor and Jayce’s day--and something that reminded you of a snow-covered forest under moonlight. You didn’t need to see him beside you to register the heat of Viktor’s body as he sat on a nearby stool, acting as if the furniture was there waiting for him. His legs—those damn long legs—sprawled out as he looked at you. No other confirmation was needed besides the weighty feel of his gaze on you.

His smile was like sunshine washing over you as he sat beside you, watching as you piped frosting onto the cupcakes.

“They do, yes.”

You frowned at a somewhat lopsided bit of frosting. You couldn’t work under Viktor’s watchful gaze. It made your hands shake. Turned the room two sizes too small. As if you and Viktor were the only two occupants in a quaint, stuffy closet. Chests nudging as they expanded with each unsteady breath. Eyes trying to meet in the shadows, like two lost stars waiting to collide.

When he didn’t elaborate, you sat the piping bag down and frowned.

“Yes, Viktor? I’m trying to work here.”

Viktor smiled and eyed the bowl of white frosting. The entire room lit up around him. His smiles weren’t rare, but they still seemed to draw you to him like a moth to a flame. And the way the corners of his mouth tipped up in amusement as he looked over your station was all you needed to be thrown into the cataclysm that was Viktor.

Although, that seemed to happen daily. Which was getting out of hand. Very much out of hand, especially when you noticed yourself holding your breath as Viktor’s eyes met yours. And you realized that smile was directed at you. Still, you maintained the mock annoyance.

“I think I understand now why you’re always brimming with smugness whenever you come bother Jayce and me in the lab.” He laughed softly. “This is fun.”

You bit your cheek and handed him a cupcake, holding it directly in front of his face, and stared at him expectantly.

“You must be hungry since you’re in the kitchen. So, here. Take your snack and go.” Although, you didn’t particularly want him to leave.

He frowned at the baked good and sat it down.

“But I haven’t tested my theory.”

“You haven’t even told me your theory.”

“Well, I never said I was going to tell you.” He turned the cupcake a full 360 degrees, admiring every bit of surface area.

“Then take your cupcake and get back to work.” You waved him off.

He waited a full thirty seconds—watching you toy with the piping bag then adjusting cupcakes you weren’t frosting—before speaking again. He poked the hardening frosting.

“Is it editable?”

You glared at him wide-eyed.

“Yes, of course, it’s edible, you ass.”

“Ah, my apologies, wrong choice of words. Is it tasty?”

He was just getting your goat at this point. The way his eyes glinted when yours twitched--and the pure amusement dripping from the word tasty--told you as much. So much so that, without much of a second thought—one that you really should have had—you reached forward and procured a dollop of frosting on your forefinger. Viktor’s gaze followed it as you held it in front of him.

What you’d been expecting him to do was either frown, look at you incredulously, maybe make a joke about how unhygienic that was, or just pull the frosting off with his own finger. What you weren’t expecting was him leaning forward, holding eye contact with you that felt ten times more intimate than you knew it was, and wrapping his lips around your finger. A full-body shiver rocked you as his tongue grazed the pad of your finger and all coherent thoughts left you.

When he pulled back, it was like the spark that ignited between you was one-sided. Very much between you and yourself.

“Oh, yes, that is rather tasty. Might I bring one to Jayce as well?”

You blinked at him for a solid second before sliding another cupcake his way.

“Thank you,” he murmured, but he still didn’t stand. He tossed his cane from hand to hand, deliberating something internally.

“Yes, Viktor?” You asked slower, quieter. To your dismay, your voice came out husky. Needy. You cleared your throat as if that would magically cover it up.

“My theory requires assistance.” He shrugged and reached a hand out. When you didn’t move, he nodded at your empty hand, and you reluctantly gave it to him.

Suddenly, you were aware of each callous, each soft patch of skin between yours and Viktor’s hand. His hand fully encompassed yours as he turned it over. Fingers danced over yours, bringing goosebumps to the surface of your skin, before they settled on your wrist. His gaze fell to yours once more as he searched your face. He smiled again.

You were just about to open your mouth and ask for an explanation, but Viktor spoke first.

“Your heart is racing.”

Heat flooded your face—amongst a few other places—and you jerked your hand from Viktor’s. That certainly wasn’t helping whatever case was being built against you here. Viktor laughed—making flowers bloom and birds chirp—and he practically beamed at you.

He reached out and tugged on your apron. With less hesitation than you liked, you gave in and let him pull you towards him. He continued to smile as he brought you closer. Guiding you between his legs until you were mere inches from him. You’d shared close proximity before. But this? When you could feel and hear your heart in your ears. When every inch of you was on fire, and every nerve and every thought was screaming touch me. It was dangerous being this close to Viktor. It was a heartbreaking reminder that you’d never get the match to drop into kerosene. You’d have to keep dousing yourself with ice water to control the heat, to extinguish the flames. And you feared with each failed attempt that the fire was turning to grease, spreading wider and growing more vicious with each dump of water atop it.

“What?” You tried to say, acting as if you were totally unaffected by him. But it came out embarrassingly breathy.

He reached up and you froze as he dusted off a bit of flour from your cheek. The minimal contact made your knees weak. You had to stop yourself from leaning into the touch, from sighing like this was the first time someone had touched you in months. It had been, but Viktor didn’t need to know that.

“Your heart is racing,” he repeated. He slid his fingers up your wrist, trailing the length of your forearm until he got to your elbow. He guided you even closer. Even while sitting down, he barely sat shorter than you.

“It tends to do that when I’m annoyed,” you lied.

Viktor brought his hand down to his lap and you missed the sudden warmth of his touch.

“Mmm, does it?”

“It does,” you said a little stronger. As if that false certainty would make up for the blatant lie. “So, if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to get back to work.”

He nodded. He put his weight on his cane as he stood up, positioning himself far closer to you than you’d been expecting. He eyed the cupcakes, his cane, his hands, then you. You muttered a quiet apology, plated the cupcakes on a throwaway dish, and handed them to Viktor. He grinned as he took it, catching your gaze, somehow managing to look at you through his lashes.

“Can you stop by the lab later?” His voice was a mere whisper. “I have a few things I require your assistance with.”

“Isn’t that what Jayce is for?” It didn’t come out as mock-annoyed as you wanted. Curiosity seeped through instead.

“Perhaps for most things. But I am specifically in need of your assistance with this.” He turned on his heels. “So if you’d be so kind, it’d be greatly appreciated.”

“We’ll see,” you said to his back as he left.

You took extra care when frosting the remaining cupcakes. Mostly because you were trying to come up with an excuse not to go to the lab. You had a feeling it was going to lead to some sort of embarrassment on your behalf. Like the one time Viktor was talking to you about something Hextech related--you really weren’t listening, how could you when he was standing so close to you, eyes beaming with each word he said. He saw a spare page of his notes on the table and reached around you. Stupidly, you froze when you should’ve side-stepped and Viktor’s chest pressed against yours as he reached for the notes.

It nearly stopped your heart, that amount of body contact with him. But he seemed entirely unaffected by it when he pulled away. You, on the other hand, were holding your breath out of fear of gasping, praying he hadn’t felt how fast your heart was beating, and was trying to calm the warmth flooding your body. He just kept on as if nothing had happened, reading whatever was on the page and pacing around the room like a well-practiced professor.

Plus, after the close contact with him in the kitchen, your hands were left shaking. It took far more concentration to ice the desserts than you liked. It got to the point where, thirty minutes past what it should’ve taken you to finish, you threw down the piping bag and cursed the baked goods. Fuck you, you muttered in exasperation and stumbled out of the kitchen covered in bits of flour, frosting, and cake crumbs.

Apron discarded, you stood outside of Viktor and Jayce’s lab. Three deep breaths later, you knocked on the door expecting for Jayce to yell come in or some other greeting. Instead, it was Viktor’s voice who called for you to enter, and that made your heart leap into your throat. If Jayce hadn’t answered, that either meant he was preoccupied or simply wasn’t there. You hoped it was the former because if it were the latter...You weren’t sure you could handle any more alone time with Viktor that evening.

It was the latter. Viktor was alone in the lab when you walked in. He smiled at you over his shoulder, his hair looking fluffier and more askew than when you’d last seen it a few hours ago. He rolled his shoulders and motioned for you to join him beside one of the many desks. To your surprise, he wasn’t bent over some Hextech prototype. It was just a journal.

“What did you need my assistance with?”

Viktor tapped the edge of the desk, and you looked at it longer than you should have before giving him a questioning glance.

“Sit,” he murmured.

Tentatively, you obliged. You hoped your hop onto the desk was more graceful than it felt. Viktor smiled as he picked up the journal and paced the room. A frown took form as you watched him, both silent. Until he stopped in front of you, lowered the book, and seemed to study your face with the same critical observation face he used when reading Jayce’s notes.

“Is this what you called me in for, Viktor?” You cocked a brow at him. “To sit here and watch you read?”

“No.” He sat the book down and shifted his weight onto the cane. “I wanted to see if you would come.”

Your heart picked up in your chest.

“I’m sorry?”

“I wanted to see if you would come,” he repeated matter of factly.

You thought about picking up the book he’d been reading and throwing it at home. Or just jumping off the desk and storming out of the room. Both were good options. For some reason, you went with the first. Viktor barely dodged the incoming book, grinning like a madman when he watched it land across the room.

“I am tired, Viktor. If you wanted to hang out, you could’ve just asked me.”

“But that wouldn’t have worked.” He stepped closer, the thud of his cane echoing with each step. “I needed to see if you’d come simply because I asked, no other important information. Just that I needed your assistance.”

“Why?”

Before he could answer, you could already see the words forming in his head.

“I swear to everything, Viktor, if this is about your damn theory again.”

“It’s a rather interesting one if I might say so myself.”

You crossed your arms as Viktor closed the gap between you two, positioning himself directly between your legs. He swapped his cane out for the desk, leaning his weight against it, bringing him in close as he studied you. His eyes flickered and your breath hitched. Before you could blink, Viktor’s lips ghosted over yours. You flinched, digging your nails into the desk so hard that, had they been your palms, you would’ve broken skin.

“I think that you want to kiss me.”

Every nerve fired off in your body. His hips grazed your inner thighs, his breath fanned against your skin, his hair tickled your forehead. You had absolutely no idea how you were supposed to respond. For one, you desperately wanted to kiss him. But you didn’t want him to know that, even if he’d already deduced it himself. And it wasn’t like you could deny it. Viktor was too smart for his own good; he already knew the answer. Even if you wholeheartedly denied it, he’d keep that glint in his eye and just nod, playing along with the facade. Because he knew. And you had absolutely no idea what to do with that information.

So, you played along.

“What makes you say that?”

“Ah.” Viktor, to both your relief and dismay, straightened. He pointed towards the book discarded on the floor. “If you hadn’t so rudely thrown my notes, I would’ve shared my observations with you.”

“Notes?” You perked up as Viktor turned and started towards the book.

He didn’t speak again until he bent over, picked it up, and opened it. He hmmed and nodded, perusing the pages with a finger, his cane tucked under his arm. Finally, he said ah, and shifted so he fully faced you.

“A little over a month ago. While I was in the lab, working. You,” he nodded towards you, “brought in some fruits as snacks. Jayce wasn’t here, so I asked if you’d like to stay. You did.”

You tensed. You remembered this. You didn’t need any other information. Snacks, lab, alone with Viktor was more than enough to trigger the memory. One where your chest felt tight, your stomach wobbled inside you, and your knees grew weaker by the second. You locked eyes with Viktor as he glanced up from the journal. Instantly, as those all-knowing eyes met yours, your heart leapt into your throat.

“In doing so, you helped out with an experiment I was working on at the time. A prototype of Hextech armor.”

It wasn’t exactly armor. It was a corset in the pre-design phase, where they were still figuring out styling and fittings before they even moved onto the Hextech aspect. So Viktor had you step into the clothing. It was a thick, soft fabric, covered in large, unbending pieces that mimicked the future protective parts.

The corset aspect was one thing; you could ignore the tightness in your chest and the beating of your heart easily. But one of the design features to get adequate measurements and fitting was straps. Lots and lots of straps. So it became near unbearable, standing there while trying to act unaffected by Viktor’s fingers working each strap tight. Every so often, he’d ask, “Is that alright?” And his fingers would graze against you at the same time, drawing the breath from your lungs. The scent of coffee--and fruit from the assortment you’d brought in--overwhelmed you.

“Your pupils were dilated, your breathing was uneven, and you were uncharacteristically nervous.” Viktor stepped towards you. “I noticed that you kept avoiding eye contact, and you weren’t looking at my freckle.”

Viktor smiled and tapped the beauty mark above his mouth. One you’d told yourself you were looking at multiple times, trying to convince yourself that you weren’t staring at his mouth. Or that you weren’t fantasizing about what his lips felt like against yours; your neck, your clavicle, your chest.

Viktor’s smile didn’t falter as he set the book down, clearly waiting for you to say something. Probably something smart or witty; something to combat what he’d said. But, like when he’d tightened the straps of the corset, he’d sucked the air right of you. You’d just wished it’d been because his fingers were brushing against the different sections of your torso. Not because he’d been the brilliant man that he is and noticed the crush you’d been trying to keep under wraps.

You wished you hadn’t played along. You wished you had just gone back to your room, apologized to Viktor the next day, and then hope he’d put the whole I have a theory thing behind him. But wishing wasn’t going to make it a reality. Instead, you sucked in a slow breath, steadying yourself on the desk, and rolled your shoulders back.

“Really, Viktor, that’s what you called me in here to discuss?” You tried to maintain the steadiest voice you could muster, but it still came out uneven.

“Are you saying my theory is incorrect?” He was back in front of you now, the same spot between your legs, the book sat beside your parted thighs.

You hesitated for a second too long with your deliberations--were you to tell him the truth or simply deny it--and settled on repeating yourself. Still, the momentary quiet that came with your indecision made Viktor beam with what you pinpointed as vindication. Surely since you weren’t answering, the answer had to be yes.

“Is this really all you wanted to discuss, Vik? I could be sleeping.”

You expected him to step back then, maybe shrug his shoulders and say yes. Then he’d dismiss you, telling you to sleep well, and the two of you would never talk about what happened again. There’d be some light teasing, sure, but it would’ve been left in the dust. That was the Viktor you knew. But then something tiny, almost unnoticeable, flickered behind his eyes, and it was only then that he started to step back.

The faintest falter in his smile had you reaching after him.

“However, if I am wrong, I do apologize.” He nudged the journal closer to you. “And I fear my observations may have proved rather inappropriate.”

Viktor hadn’t even left the vicinity that was the gap between your legs before you spoke again. Your hand found his arm, and he glanced over your shoulder. It’d been uncertainty. Something you’d seen in him only when he’s working, experimenting, tinkering. It was always pinpointed towards another object or thought. Never when it came to him. And if he’d been wrong about you liking him and it brought the uncertainty to him?

Your eyes locked.

“I do,” you blurted. “I do.”

An eyebrow quirked.

“You do?”

A stalemate. You had no idea if he wanted to kiss you. But it was important for him to know that you wanted to kiss him. That glint was back in his eyes, and that was more than enough to cover the fact that your heart was going to break through your chest any moment. The corners of your mouth twitched as Viktor scanned your face. Whatever he was looking for, he found, you guessed as he faced you once more.

“I want to kiss you, Viktor,” you said breathlessly, nearly combusting from the heat that poured onto your face.

He mimicked the same position he had when you’d first sat on the desk: hands on either side of you, leaning close, head dipped down to your level. His mouth parted, his brows pinched ever so slightly, and his eyes narrowed with suspicion.

“Prove it.”

Prove it…? You blinked up at him. Prove it? He wanted you to prove it. He wanted you to...His jaw tensed into an even sharper line than it usually was as you stared at him. The gears in your head managed to grind to halt at what was the worst possible moment. And then they kicked into overdrive as Viktor’s words repeated in your head and were replaced with kiss him.

Viktor made a small oh as you jerked him forward, fingers curling around his tie, and you swallowed the sound as your mouth met his. The seconds that passed once your mouths touched were composed of too much and too little. It was how soft his lips were that you weren’t getting nearly enough of. How he inhaled sharply and shifted back to adjust his stance. His hand coming up from the desk to your waist and then back down, tentatively moving, unsure of where he wanted it to be.

Snapping back to reality, you cupped his jaw, his hair tickling your forehead, and sighed when he mimicked the action. His hand was soft callouses against your cheek. His words echoed in your mind. I may not be as active as Jayce is with his hammer, but I’m still spending hours tinkering in the lab. It was after he’d cut himself on a particularly sharp piece of metal while experimenting. Jayce was out, and Viktor had trudged over to you in the kitchen down the hall.

“It’s closer than the infirmary and I couldn’t find the emergency kit in the lab. I fear we may have used it up already.”

After playfully berating him for bringing such contamination into a cooking environment, you sat him down and wrapped the wound. It wasn’t deep, nothing that would scar, but it let you draw your fingers over his palm. Smooth yet rough. Years of tinkering and experimenting showed on it. The other even more as he held his cane. Each touch was like a jolt of electricity through your veins. Ones that became more potent with each brushing of skin to the point where it almost hurt to hold his hand. It was a feeling that stuck with you long after. It was one that spread through you from your head all the way down to the tips of your toes, like a galaxy expanding in the dark cosmic space beyond the atmosphere.

It was like that now. As if someone seemed to press unpause and Viktor gasped, and the kiss deepened. Your hand moving to his hair, his nails digging ever so gently into your cheek. Scooting forward on the desk until, when you wrapped your legs around his waist, he was pressed against you. All of you. Only then did you let go of his tie and press your hand flat against his chest. His heart was like a drum beneath your touch. You wanted to peel away the layers and see how it felt with nothing between you and his chest.

Tongues touched, breathing grew heavy, and your mind went blank. The gears that had been turning into overtime now stalled. All that murmured in there was Viktor. Viktor and kissing and finally. A gleeful joy pumped through you at the delayed realization that he was kissing you back. Wholly and with a reciprocated desperation. Like he’d been waiting just as long as you had for this. Like he’d thought it was never going to happen with the same heartbreaking melancholy that slipped into your thoughts every night you thought about him.

The urge to blink away tears came suddenly. And then Viktor tilted your head back and closed an arm around your waist. The tears that snuck down your cheeks weren’t from what wasn’t going to happen, but the feel of what you never thought was going to. Your entire body pressed against Viktor’s, locked at the mouths, with hands grasping at hair and clothing. Nothing was shed, but when the pressure between your legs was becoming too much and you rolled your hips. Viktor’s quiet curse against your lips was like the spotlight on the hardness against you.

Your hand twitched on his chest before it went to fumble with his vest. When there was no protest on his end, you started to undo his tie. He momentarily broke the kiss to fumble with your jacket, pushing it off your shoulders with hands that trembled as yours had hours ago when you’d been trying to finish the cupcakes. Each swipe and drag of the fabric off your shoulders, back, arms was like a teasing reminder of what neither of you could move fast enough to get to.

You rolled your hips once more and Viktor practically hissed out his exhale.

But that wasn’t the only sound that cut through the room.

“Viktor!” Jayce’s familiar voice called from behind the door. “I think I figured out-”

But you didn’t hear the rest. All you could hear was rustling clothes, a few muttered curses from both you and Viktor, and scurried footsteps. You were still panting when you sat down in a chair a few feet from Viktor. Eyeing the book that contained his “notes,” you slid it beneath your arm, out of view from the man who had just opened the laboratory doors. Viktor shot a what are you doing glance before you greeted Jayce. He didn’t bat an eye at your presence.

“I don’t mean to cut out when it sounds like it’s just getting good, but I’ll leave the scientist-talk to the scientists.” You rose, stealing a glance at where Viktor sat with his legs painfully crossed. Excitement flooded you as you left. You stopped at the door and met Viktor’s gaze. “You can finish telling me about your theory later, Vik. Night you two.”