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beesincognito · 1 year

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Perfect Strangers- part nine: The Reunion

Viktor x Fem!reader (SFW)

part eight part ten (start here!)

Takes place before Arcane and works its way there, did my best to combine the different versions of lore. (nsfw in parts)

(you and Viktor meet on your first day at the academy and bond over being habitual, awkward loners. The story revolves around class issues and a sense of belonging mixed with lore and Arcane plot.)

*no warnings for this part*

Word count: 2,571

******

Caston watched you leave, maintaining stoic eye contact through the open window as you waved at each other with sullen faces. Bowing his head once the train began to pull out of the station. Prodding from his mother for him to compose himself made him turn and leave. With your head hanging out of the window you kept watching him walk away from his family until the station was completely out of sight.

Your bag was heavy in your hand, dragging your shoulder down into a slouch when you still waited to sit in your private room. It was weighed down with books that Caston sent you home with from the Galgaridon library, insisting that you kept them as a gift. Eventually you were going to be able to open your own library with the monstrous number of books you were accumulating.

It dropped onto your small bed, sturdy and unmoving despite the rattle of the cart once you crossed an older set of tracks.

Between the pages of the history book were pressed flowers from the garden where your last private moments with Caston were spent. Something about their subtle stain on the pages would always bring you back to that peace you felt once you had the closure you never knew you so desperately needed. Managing to forgive him would have felt like an inescapable nightmare years prior to seeing him again, you would never forget the torment, but the trip was enough for you.

It would be days before you were home in Piltover, so you got to reading, pouring your eyes over the history of Noxus, learning their mythos and tales from the books. A few science books were included, from growing plants in desolate lands to biological experimentation.

Knowing Viktor would find a lot of them interesting, you wondered how many of them you would lug back to the joint dorm waiting for you.

******

Noxus gradually disappeared behind you in a blur of industrial jungles and distant noxtoraas marking claimed Noxian territory.

Eventually the first farms passed you by, letting you know you were entering Valoran. Practically pressed up against the double paned window you stretched with a squeak and the cracking of your back.

When you greeted your parents in the dining cart after freshening up for the day, you sat with them for breakfast, listening to them talk excitedly about the new business venture with the Galgaridons.

“So, y/n,” your mother gave you a knowing look, “you said you were once seeing the young master Caston. What happened?”

Nearly choking on your bite, coughing and clearing your throat before coming up with a reasonable answer. “We… um, just stopped wanting the same things.”

“Like what?” she wanted the full story which you promised you wouldn’t spread further.

“You saw,” you waved your hand in the air, “he wanted to serve his country.” Since you never pressed charges you doubted your parents would ever find out about the real story if they didn’t dig. Knowing your parents as well as you did, the questioning would stop at the table as long as you played out the conversation as calmly as possible.

“It’s a shame, he would have been a brilliant scientist,” she admitted after remembering what you filled her in on, concerning his work at the academy during his time there. “But I suppose he feels fulfilled serving,” she added before taking a long sip of her coffee.

Agreeing with her, you finished your meal quickly and returned to your room to read.

******

The whistle of the train announced your arrival at the station where you took your time exiting the train with your parents. The space was bustling with people. You could barely hear yourself think, much less walk faster than a snail's pace until your family made it out. The carriage was waiting, already running once the driver spotted you through the crowd.

It was late fall in Piltover. After being in Noxus, where it was colder being closer to the Freljord, you were ill dressed and felt like you were suffocating in your wool sweater despite the obvious chill. Even your parents were fanning themselves in their coats before you pushed the windows down to let in some air.

The estate was immaculate. Everything was manicured while your family was away at the request of your father.

After unpacking your bags and refilling the smaller ones with lighter clothes, you made yourself ready to return to the academy with no time to waste.

Much to the chagrin of your parents, you refused to take more things and wanted to pack light for everything except the books which took up their own heavy travel bag. The accumulation of reading material was essential and you wanted to share some of your favorite reads with Viktor.

They let you leave, hugging you goodbye with a promise from your mother that she would visit soon and watching you leave in the carriage with your bags.

******

At the student services office you picked up your new room key and number, as if you didn’t know how to get there already. Salt crunched under your feet as the city was already prepping for snow. Practically bouncing on your heals despite the weight of your book laden bag, you unlocked your door quietly. Sneaking into your room unnoticed was far from a challenge when the hall was noisy with foot traffic and loud students catching up after the vacation. You hurriedly put your bags down and moved to the door that connected your room and Viktor’s with a kitchen.

When you peaked through, seeing that the door on his side was open, you excitedly made your way through. The clicking of your hard soles gave you away in the end, but you didn’t care.

You saw him reading from a notebook on the edge of his bed which he quickly dropped when he saw you, rising to his feet to meet you and catching you in his arms. The smell of his clothes pressed against your nose felt like home and the feeling of his embrace was heaven.

“I was worried,” he held you tighter.

When you eventually let each other go, you expressed how much you missed being at the academy. You detailed the remainder of your time in Noxus, trying your best to recant the development between you and Caston and how you felt better than ever. Seeing the newfound ease on your face and the way you carried yourself was enough for Viktor to know the trip was good for you after all despite his concerns.

“So you’re an assistant now,” you leaned in, wiggling your eyebrows at him when he blushed, “to Heimerdinger.”

“I- yes,” he reached for your hand in your lap once you were seated together on his bed, “it’s a lot of pressure.”

“But you can do it.”

“I know,” he nodded his head to the side, “I’m just going to be a little busier than usual.”

You thought about what that meant since his usual business meant going days without seeing him before the split dorm if your class schedules didn’t line up. It wasn’t a bother to either of you since work had always been prioritized during your undergraduate days. Now with a small kitchen connecting the two of you, you figured it would be easier to see Viktor despite how busy he would get. Assuming most of his work would take him away from the dorms and regular downtime, you mentally prepared for long stretches of not seeing him relax.

“Please take care of yourself in the meantime,” you rose from your spot on his bed, letting go of his hand and stretching. “I have to unpack and check in with the resident advisor.”

Carelessly unpacking your few bags into drawers and the closet was short lived. Once you got to your books you slowed down and took your time organizing them on the shelves above your desk, hearing the tap of Viktor’s cane as he made his way into your side of the dorm with a couple of vintage books in his hand. They were art history books which you adored, adding them to the shelf. You chatted about the absurd amount of reading material you brought when he asked if they were all from home.

His hand reached past your head while you worked, removing the large tome of Noxian history and examining the text on the cover. Resting his cane against the desk and flipping through the first few pages. Flowers were delicately pressed and he made sure to not disturb them, reading around the stems and petals.

The Galgaridon family crest was stamped on the inside of the front cover in red ink.

When he asked you about it he listened to you explain that Caston gave you a lot of books from his family’s library. You apologized if it made him uncomfortable which he assured you there was nothing to worry about.

“I brought books I thought you would be interested in as well,” you commented, pointing out books here and there and giving a brief explanation about their contents when Viktor carefully returned the history book to its place on the shelf.

Lost in your rambling over a specific botany book in your hands, your voice cut off at his touch. Hands cupped your head delicately and your lips were met with his for the first time. It was deep and still, unsure of how long it would last, but you remained rigid.

Friends don’t kiss like this.

You felt light headed when he pulled away, still holding your head. Your eyes met, wide and in shock. After a moment of silence between you, Viktor was broken from his trance when loud chatter erupted from outside of your door and he released you.

“I’m sorry… um, I’m glad you’re back,” he cleared his throat and grabbed his cane, “I need to get to work, I’ll see you soon.”

With your head in the clouds you watched him calmly turn the handle to your door and step out into the hallway. Leaving you alone with your thoughts which were calmer than you expected in that kind of situation.

The imaginary railing was gone and you felt the cool wash from the plunge of diving into something new with Viktor.

******

With classes in session and the campus life in full swing, you were relieved to know Viktor wasn’t completely lost to his work. Even if he was missing from his dorm some evenings, you always saw him in the morning when you made tea in the kitchen. Most mornings he was up before you and you could hear him moving about his room through the closed door. At least on the weekends you still had time to go to the inner city, browsing shops or grabbing lunch. Though the frightfully cold weather often kept you on campus on the busy days where Viktor would watch you mold tiny snowmen on your walks. Snow never lasted long in Piltover, so yo outlook advantage of the sun as much as possible. It snowed more on the outskirts of the city where you grew up.

It had been a couple of weeks since the kiss and neither of you ever brought it up. There was no air of awkwardness or discomfort, simply a lack of need to dissect everything that happened between you anymore.

“You’re back already?” you leaned in your chair at the kitchen table and felt your aching back crack. “I thought Heimerdinger needed you until ten today.”

“We finished early,” he explained. Sighing when he sank into the seat across the table from you.

“No work for classes?” you eyed him, knowing full well he usually got right to assignments when he got home.

His eyes darted to the side when you asked, “I wanted to see you. You’re usually asleep when I get back,” his ears were red.

The idea of him thinking of you throughout the day, and his honesty about it, made you blush. You asked him about his day, listening intently to all of the work he did for Heimerdinger, his office hours meeting other students, along with his masters program workload. At least he still had plenty of free time regardless of his schedule.

It all sounded exhausting compared to your own work which you opted for a lighter load after getting your degree. Being in your mid twenties was already a challenge enough with the stressors of getting life sorted out when your original plan was effectively derailed by staying in school.

“Are you going to be alright?” you asked when Viktor’s sentence ended in a mumble and his eyes looked glazed over. “I can make you something.”

He shook his head, feeling the need to pass out immediately. Politely declining your offer to cook him a meal and pushing the seat back. He left you in the kitchen, but you followed after him closely and saw him sit at his desk instead of going to bed.

“I’m alright,” he insisted when he noticed your face painted with worry.

“Please go to sleep at least,” you begged him while closing the already opened notebook in his hands. Wrapping your arms around his shoulders which made him drop his head against your arm in a sigh.

“In an hour, I promise.”

His response made you a little upset inside. Instead of reacting with anger, you left to fix him a cup of tea and brought it to him before turning in for the night yourself.

The lack of concern for his own health was getting worse as the years crawled by and you felt like there was nothing you could do to mitigate the damage.

******

You were in the library fixing notes for your thesis in a disgruntled stupor. Words blurred together on the page and you had to read the same lines maybe a dozen times before they finally registered. Scratching away at the paper of your notebook seemed to reverb in your isolated nook when other students were scarce at that time in the evening.

The near silence was broken by the squeaky familiar voice of Heimerdinger chatting away about organizing his lab for a new round of experiments. It made you raise your head, catching a glimpse of Viktor between shelves of books behind Heimerdinger.

They were making their way towards your nook which led to another wing of the building past where you were working. In the low desk light you wondered if Viktor had noticed you until an exclamation from Heimerdinger answered your passing question.

“Burning the midnight oil I see?” he quipped at you from where you sat.

“Indeed, professor,” you smiled down at him, “hi, Viktor,” you added when his eyes softened from seeing you.

“Keep up the good work, my dear!” he exclaimed and waved Viktor on.

“See you at home,” Viktor whispered as he passed by, gentle fingers trailing over your shoulder, and you only smiled down at your notes.

Hours later that night you slept in his bed, bundled together in his blankets and buzzing with the excitement of just getting to hold each other. He kissed your neck, humming against your skin, trailing his hand across your thigh and squeezing you. Instead of going further, you both fell asleep after the daze from kissing, feeling completely at peace.

#IM SO EMBARRASSED I THOUGHT THE KEEP READING THING WAS AUTOMATIC THIS WHOLE ITME #ISUFN Lskjvb is;f #im so sorry for posting long ass texts like that #anyways heres another prewritten chapter #perfect strangers #viktor arcane #viktor x reader #reader x viktor #viktor #arcane viktor #arcane #viktor arcane x reader #arcane reader insert #viktor/reader #reader/viktor

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