5 times Skyvik succeeded as plant parents + 1 time they didn't - chapter 1
Sky decides to grow a unique flower for an upcoming botanical expo. Now all she has to do is keep it safe and alive until the event. How difficult could that be, right?
This first chapter was originally written for @c0rrupted-mov for the 2026 Skyvik Spring Art Trade 😊
1k | fluff | (tw: mentions of chronic illness, mentions of classism)
Sharing a home lab with your spouse comes with its own unique set of unwritten rules. Viktor and Sky agreed on this when they decided to move in together. Some rules were rather standard, like keeping safety equipment in its designated place or disposing of any waste properly… Some were the result of negotiations: no staying in the lab after dinner unless it's an emergency (if this rule gets broken, the guilty party owes the other a date night). Some of them came about based on experience. For example how Sky must always announce ahead of time if she intended to turn on her newly made soil sampling machine.
The contraption that was developed with the help of Sky's own interns reminded Viktor of a coffee machine, built by someone who had only second-hand information of what coffee even was. It gave off such an ear piercing noise and rattled the table so forcefully, that whenever Sky gave it a new batch of samples to analyse, he would politely excuse himself and leave to breath some fresh air and stretch out his back in the furthest away corner of the house.
Still, when Sky told him that this time she was working on a very special project, he opted to stay.
Sitting on his stool with his hand resting on Rio II's smooth pink head, he watched as Sky filled a small compartment of the appliance with plant soil.
The right chemical properties contribute to the flower developing the perfect desired coloration, Sky explained and Viktor listened to her with an attentive smile. It wasn't the first time he heard this of course. But that didn't mean he enjoyed hearing it any less. He even leaned forward a little, careful not to drop the juvenile pixiemander from his lap, to get a better angle of the working machine - and of her excited face.
"Done!" Sky announced after the machine fell silent. Checking the dials and little lights on the appliance, she was content to see the ideal results.
"And this flower is particularly special because…?" Viktor asked, raising an eyebrow.
In absence of the noise Rio II gave a little croak, announcing that she was finally comfortable enough to roam around again on her own. So Viktor put her down on the floor, picked up his cane and followed Sky to another desk where the "particularly special" flower - a rare kind of lily that was yet to bloom - sat in a large clay pot. Rio II followed them too, as fast as her newly augmented legs allowed her.
"Oh, this is just a vanity project really…" she said with a shy giggle. "You know of the annual exhibition of the Piltover-Zaun Hobbyist Horticultural Society, don't you?"
"I happen to know about it, yes,” Viktor said, as he embraced her from behind with one arm. “And I also heard you won some prize last time you attended."
It used to be just the Piltover Hobbyist Horticultural Society, but that was before the organization opened up to accept Zaunites as well at their events, following the declaration of Zaun's independence a couple of years ago in the wake of the successful bridge protests. Nobody could say it was a smooth transition, but by now it was the work of a Zaunite, one Miss Sky Young, that dominated their competitions and discourse.
"The rumours are true," she winked at him as she adjusted the pot, turning it towards the sunlight. Then she sighed. “I hope this year will be even better.”
Viktor shrugged a shoulder with a painful expression. She must have felt him tensing up behind her, because before an apology could leave his lips she turned around, grabbed his free hand and squeezed it.
"Don’t worry, Bug! I know you might not make it," she gave him a peck on the lips to shush him.
It was true: with Zaun newly independent, work at the Academy was more frantic than ever before. Numerous inventors raced to profit from the need for rebuilding and innovation. His colleague and best friend, Jayce, worked on devices that would make factory work not just more productive, but safe as well, while Viktor threw himself into the domain of robotics. His relationship with Sky may have helped him balance his work life and everything else more, but the missed birthdays and anniversaries, the overnight shifts and weekend emergencies remained a regular feature of his schedule. So by now he preferred not to promise anyone anything ahead of time.
“I will tell you all about it afterwards,” Sky continued. "And besides, this year I'm not competing."
"Trying to give a chance to others as well, eh?" Viktor chuckled. He let go of her hand to pull her closer by the waist and Sky put her arms around his shoulder in turn.
"Actually, this time I'm on the jury," she said, her face flushing with pride.
A first for a Zaunite, Viktor realized immediately. What an honour this must be, he thought. And the guilt gnawed at him all the more for not being able to just accept the invitation.
He stepped back a little.
"That’s… incredible,” he said. “You should celebrate it then all the more!"
"That's what the flower is for," she glanced behind towards the desk. "After working on so many useful plants, it's nice to finally have one that just delights you as you watch it thrive."
As you watch it thrive… Just as you keep thriving, Miss Young, Viktor wanted to tell her. To make sure she knows how proud he was of her even in times he couldn't be there to see it with his own eyes.
But instead he pushed her away with a panicked shout.
"Behind you!"
Sky spun around just in time to see Rio II's head pop up next to the pot with her slimy purple tongue already lashing out towards the leaves.
Grabbing her before it was too late, she peeled the pixiemander off the table and squeezed her tight against her chest.
"Looks like her free roaming days are over for a while," Viktor said. He tousled his hair with one hand, face suddenly white as chalk. "And I think I need to sit back down…"
"Good idea!" replied Sky, still holding onto Rio II with an iron grip. The animal squirmed around between her arms, digging her metallic hind limbs into Sky's abdomen in the process. Her large shiny eyes glistened with an indignant curiosity.
Sky sighed as she carried her out of the lab room.
They will just keep Rio II out of there and the lily should be safe. She has cultivated countless specimens over the years after all! How difficult could this one be?
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