"Oh my god, would you look at that?", Mel whispered, sharp and urgent, repeatedly tapping her foot against his shin underneath the table. When Viktor looked up from the assignment he was correcting he immediately saw what she was talking about. Because on the other side of the yard, behind a row of perfectly planted and maintained flower beds, the pool boy was in the process of taking his shirt off.
Viktor swallowed but his tongue felt sticky against the roof of his mouth. So he reached for the glass of lemonade and took a cool swig, shaking his head as he swallowed.
"He can't be serious", he murmured, still holding on to the glass. As if it could wash away his more figurative thirst as well, if only he drank enough.
They had both been speculating, of course, but neither of them could have really predicted just how ripped the guy was under his plain white polo shirt with the ugly company logo splashed across the back. Sure, his arms were impressive but the rest of him was sculpted to perfection as well. Viktor groaned, low in his throat, as he lifted the bunched up white fabric to wipe the glistening sweat from his face, muscles in his arm flexing casually and khaki pants riding low enough on his hips to reveal the snug white waistband of his underwear. The picture sparked a memory and his eyes flicked back to Mel who was just as lost in the sight as he had been.
"Boxer briefs", he rumbled, pulling her attention after a moment, hazel eyes finding his again. "You owe me twenty."
Eyebrows drawing together she looked over at the pool boy again, expression growing more confused as she took him in, then focused on what Viktor had seen.
"Oh no, no, no..." She shook her head rather vehemently before looking at Viktor again. "Those could still be boxer shorts, I don't owe you anything yet."
It was a strange kind of friendship, if what was between them could be called that. It all started when Mel's aunt hired Viktor as a tutor for her twins. He had worked just fine with them during the winter months, getting their grades up quick and consistent. Then the temperatures begun to rise and they had moved their study sessions to the patio. From there Viktor had a fine view of the sprawling, luscious garden, the pool that had soon been filled and with it, the pool boy coming around twice a week. Blessedly scheduled for the same days as Viktor.
It had not taken long for Mel to show up more often than not on Mondays and Thursdays as well, chatting with her aunt for a polite amount of time before coming out to sit with them. And enjoy the view.
Viktor had seen her in a handful of his classes, rich and beautiful and smart, but never felt the need to talk to her. Until they bonded, rather unexpectedly, over ogling the pool boy together.
"I swear, one day soon I'll just go and find out", he mumbled, attention caught once again by the shirtless man who now continued his work checking the filter. He might have wiped the sweat from his forehead but it still glistened on his back, between his moving shoulder blades, illuminating his already sun kissed skin. Viktor wanted to chase every drop with his tongue. "I'm gonna climb him like a fucking tree."
Next to him Mel hummed her quiet agreement, chin resting in her palm as her eyes followed his every movement.
"I want to eat him alive."
Viktor was sure he should probably examine the heated shiver her purr sent down his back at one point. But not now. Now he swallowed and nodded slowly, tongue swiping out to wet his lower lip.
"He looks as if he would like that." His words earned him a surprised look from Mel. But before he could defend his position a playful grin crept up on her face.
"You think so, too?", she asked, voice low and conspiratorial and Viktor was quick to nod. It seemed they both latched onto the same clues once again.
"Look at him, I bet he just loves to kneel. Body like that with such a pretty face...?"
Biting her lip Mel looked over at the guy again, shaking her head just slightly.
"I can't wager against that, you'd definitely win." She paused, then. As if a few more words were just waiting on the tip of her tongue. Viktor did not know her well enough to read her silence so he waited until she continued: "Maybe we could find out one day soon ... together?"
The words needed a moment to really make it through the different slopes of his brain but once they did Viktor's breath got caught in his throat. He could only stare, silently, at her still smirking face.
But before he could even begin to formulate anything close to a coherent answer they were interrupted by a girl skipping towards them. The younger twin, Leandra, spread out her work book on the table between them, beaming with pride.
"All done!", she called out and from the edge of his vision Viktor noticed the pool boy's attention being pulled towards them by her loud voice.
As he pulled the work book closer to go over Leandra's scrawled equations he could think of nothing but Mel's quiet offer ... and how much he wanted to accept.
~
You can find this fic and all my other MJV Week 2022 entries on ao3 as well!
