Traces of You
Sub-genre: angst
Pairing: Viktor x Reader
"sh-sh-sh-sh, it's going to be funny."
"I'm not so sure-"
"Shut up, Jayce. He's coming."
Viktor could hear the voices of Y/N and his business partner from inside the small lab. With a roll of his eyes and small chuckle he opened the great door before him only to be greeted by a loud BANG.
Viktor's smirk was unwavering as he leaned his weight into his cane.
"Did you get it out of your system?" he asked, warmly. You found yourself smiling back, glad that he was amused by your antics.
"See, I told you it would stick without Hextech." You giggled, gesturing to the dead gecko hanging off the wall.
Viktor raised an eyebrow.
"This is what you've been working on?"
"Yes, and no." You responded by plucking the specimen from the wall. "Did you know that geckos fuse to surfaces on a molecular level?"
"Fascinating." His eyebrows quirked. "What do you plan on doing with it?"
"Apparently, sticking them to our ceiling." Jayce sighed, shuffling a stack of research papers.
"Nature is beautiful, isn't it?" You cheated your throat,"I was actually hoping to discuss some of my ideas with you over lunch- if you're free that is." You said, looking up at Viktor's deep amber eyes.
"Of course," He smiled, innocently, "care to join us?" He nodded over to Jayce, who coughed awkwardly in response.
Jayce's ears were beat red in a second as he sucked and dropped all the reports he had so neatly stacked.
"Actually, I already have plans." He haphazardly shoved the remaining documents into a file cabinet and straightened his tie. "And I'm going to be late if I don't head out now. You two have fun though."
"Tell Mel I said 'hi'." You chuckled as he bumped into the door on his way out.
Viktor shook his head at your teasing, though his infectious smirk softened.
"So, shall I get a ladder?" He asked, looking up at the handful of upside down, dead geckos hanging from the ceiling. You shrugged. The sweet angel of Viktor's natural musk masked the scent of your experiment and left your head nearly dizzy in delight.
"Eh, I'll get them later. I have something else to show you."
He gladly took your hand that day as you walked him to your lab where you had any elaborate lunch waiting just in case.
***
It had been years since your showed Viktor the prototype of your boots. Years since you've spoken or seen him, even. It wasn't your fault, priories change and Viktor's need to lack emotions got in the way. Though, you could almost feel the ghost of what once was haunt you. Did you make him feel? Is that why he didn't visit or speak to you anymore? Or worse, did he truly stop caring?
Now finished with your long awaited project, you were were quite literally shaking in your boots as a small crowd of potential investors and members of the academy waited for your demonstration with bated breath.
From a distance, you could spot your friend Jayce in the crowd giving you what seemed to be the thumbs up to get started. Of course, it was a tad bit confusing as you were hung upside down from a large, wooden platform.
"Esteemed patrons of the sciences, thank you for coming today." You announced as officially as your could add all the blood rushed to your head. Were you hanging too long? Your stomach flipped. "With the enhancement of Hextech, we are now able to-" you began your stroll down the side of the platform, pausing at a familiar scent from the crowd.
You found yourself nervously stuttering as you scanned the on lookers and attendees, attempting to hide your frantic looking. Maybe you hadn't prepared your presentation as well as you had hoped. As you made your way to the water tank below you found yourself skipping ahead off your speech. "Even walking on water at accelerated speeds is possible."
A glimpse of amber glistened from the corner of your vision. From beyond the crowd you could spot him. Watching on from the alley on the far side of the plaza you saw Viktor watching. Or, at least what remained of the now cyborg.
"With your help, we will be able to use this technology to aid with cleaning river pollution, rescuing wildlife, and-" was he leaving? He couldn't. Not again.
Anxiously, you found yourself rushing through your speech and giving a quick "thank you" as you unbuckled yourself and excited the elaborate stage.
"What was that about? Do you know how many-" Jayce attempted to ask as you nearly sprinted past him.
"I'm sorry! We can talk about it later!" You called, back to him, rushing for the alley. "Viktor!" You called. "Viktor! Wait up! Please, I just want to talk to you." You called, desperately. There was so much you wanted to say. You were so mad, so heartbroken, so frustrated. Yet, all you wanted to do was take him into your arms, hold him right, and never let go again. Viktor, on the other hand didn't bother turning around. He didn't bother to stop or change his pace either.
"Nature is beautiful, isn't it?" He asked in his robotic tone, the metal chilling the reverb of his vocal cords.
That sentence was all it took to knock the wind out of you. Previous nervousness gone. Worries? Gone. All that was left was grief, and suddenly, everything you had to say vanished. It was as if you had gotten hit in the gut. You found yourself sinking to the ground as Viktor rounded the corner of the alley and disappeared from your sight.
