⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀. ⌢⌢ 𝕾TONES, LIKE DIAMONDS ⸝⸝ !!
V. X M!R. · you're a biology/zoology student at the academy, and you've been placed in the same lab as jayce and viktor. you grow close with the both of them over time, but you have a soft spot for viktor , ,
Heimerdinger had taken you in as one of the very few zoology students at the academy, intrigued by your studies. Despite how large the academy is, they run out of space at some point. So, he placed you in the lab of two of the most brilliant men in Piltover, Jayce and Viktor. You were sort of confused by that since your two lines of research didn't really connect anywhere, but you didn't dare argue with Heimerdinger.
So here you stand in front of the grand lab doors, a box of your lab supplies in your arms and a bag with your textbooks slung over your shoulder. You take a deep breath and push your way through the doors to the lab. The two men in the lab turn towards the door, one sitting at the desk and the other standing at the chalkboard, both of them looking equally exhausted.
You recognize one of them, Jayce, from the posters all around Piltover. From that, you assume the other seated at the desk is Viktor.
"Ah, you must be the student Professor Heimerdinger said would be joining us. Please, come in." Viktor says, motioning for you to come in. You place the box down on the far end of the desk, and walk over to them, shaking their hands and introducing yourself. Your voice quivers, and your hand almost shakes, but you force yourself to gain some semblance of composure. These are going to be your lab... partners, after all.
Months pass like minutes, and you get closer to them over time. You spend days and nights in the lab, discussing school, labs, personal things, and everything in between. You spend late nights with them, laughing at how delirious you all are at 3am, trying to finish your work.
"Gods, we should go to sleep," you comment, trying to pick up all of the papers that fell onto the floor in your dazed laughter. Jayce rubs the back of his neck, nodding.
"Yeah, I'm probably gonna head back to mine. Mel's probably waiting for me." he picks up his bag, stuffing his notebooks into it before slinging it over his shoulder. "You two get home safe, yeah?" he smiles at you and Viktor.
"Yeah, you too. Say hi to Mel for us." You say before he nods, shutting the door behind him, washing you and Viktor into a half-awkward silence. "So, you gonna head home?"
"Eh, yes. Maybe, I don't know if I have anything else I need to get done tonight..." he trails off, sifting through piles of paper, looking for any unfinished notes.
"Do you think I could walk you home...?" You fiddle with your thumbs, looking down at your bag as you organize the papers in it. "I mean, I don't have to, it's just─"
"I'd like that." he interrupts you, putting his notebook into his bag. "I don't have anything else to do, are you ready to go?"
"Oh! Um, yeah, I got all my stuff." You scramble to your feet, pushing your seat in and turning off the desk lamps and your microscope. "Here, let's go." You open the door for him, stepping aside for him to step through, and he thanks you. You close the door behind the two of you, your keys clinking together with your orca keychain as you lock the lab door.
You and him walk back to his apartment, chatting about everything and nothing. He makes a few flirty comments, you brush them off and rule it down to flattery. At some point, you realize you've been staring at him as you walk when you almost walk into a lamppost. He laughs and you rub your arm, embarrassed. You finally make it to his door, and something in your stomach twists as you think about having to walk home alone, without the familiar comfort of his voice. As he unlocks his door, he turns around to you and you jump a bit, snapped out of your thoughts.
"Thank you for walking me home, sir," he teases. You smile at him, before remembering something.
"Oh right, I have something for you! Well, a few things." You dig through your bag, pulling out a small pouch and you open it, pulling out a few smooth, shiny stones. One was golden orange, almost like tiger eye. I saw this one and it reminded me of your eyes." You sift through them, and he looks at you with an expression that's a mix of astonishment and pure infatuation, but you don't notice. You find a few small black ones, and take them, along with the amber one, and put them in his hand. "Those little black ones reminded me of your moles, they were like little constellations in the sand," you explain, smiling, proud of yourself, and just happy to talk about your work.
You finally look up at him, having put the rest of the rocks back in the pouch and into your bag. You make eye contact with him, and you're a bit taken aback by his soft, loving sort of smile. "You're giving me rocks...?"
"Well, basically. Did you know that young gentoo penguins give other penguins stones or pebbles to put in a nest when they find a potential mate in an attempt to impress their desired mate, a lot like humans gifting diamonds or jewelry to a significant other?" you ramble, obviously passionate about your research.
"So, are you saying that I'm a 'potential mate'?" he smirks, turning to put the rocks down on his coffee table, waving for you to come in. You look down at your hands, a little stunned and you take a deep breath before stepping into his house, your hands clutching the strap of your bag.
"I mean, you could think about it like that, but I just saw them and thought of you─ oh, hi, you're very close," you notice he's come closer to you, and you have to lean back to try to give yourself more distance, knowing you'd just melt if he got too close.
"Come, take your coat off. I have some of my own... gifts, to give to you."
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀© sentinl
