Chasing You (Viktor Krum X Reader)

Chapter 11: I Become a Victim of the Bystander Effect

Chapter 11: I Become a Victim of the Bystander Effect

Romance is funny. We all have ideals for our perfect romance, little daydreams that we play through as we lie in bed and fight off sleep. But romance isn't always as it seems in our daydreams. I mean, it can be worse. But it can also be better.

I don't know which mine is.

I used to daydream about attending a James Bond-esque gala in a long, tight black dress that hugs my curves (which are much more prominent in my daydream than in my youthful reality). In the daydream, I sip on a martini (I've never had a martini) as I gaze into the crowd of hotties (so many hotties). I drain my glass. I eat the olive (ew). I saunter (sexily) over to the bar to grab another drink and then...

I trip. Full-on, face-first collision with the ground, baby. Very on brand for me.

But, wait!

There's a hottie. The hottest hottie at the ball. He catches me. I (with my hands suddenly devoid of the martini glass) throw my arms around his shoulders and gaze into his dreamy blue eyes. He says something charismatic and sexy, and then we make out on the floor.

This is not what I expected for my first romance.

Viktor is on top of me, which, so far, adds up. But he's not making out with me. In fact, he is besting me in hand-to-hand combat with an evil grin on his face.

Of course, I soon realized that my daydreams weren't my ideal. They were just forced upon me in every romance novel or movie ever. To participate in a charming, sexy romance, one has to be charming and sexy.

My reality, however, is the most confusing romance ever.

I'm a violent little firecracker, as I have proven on numerous occasions. (Can we all take a moment to reflect on the situation with Robert the Bigot?) And yet... I tend to overestimate my abilities when it comes to fighting.

One could argue that I won the fight with Robert, but Robert is a little dweeb and I utilized the element of surprise. Also, I had a hulk of a man just behind me with the whisperings of death in his eyes.

Picking a fight with Viktor... well, maybe it wasn't my smartest idea. Even Robert the Misogynist had the sense to back off, but me... Well, I never claimed to be all that bright.

Cedric and Cho are seated on the couch behind where I'm pinned to the ground. (Please note, both are perfect examples of the bystander effect as they make no move to interfere.) Viktor was seated on the chair closest to the fireplace when I decided to challenge him to a duel.

Essentially, what I intended to do is as follows:

1. Brush hand through opponent's hair to coerce opponent to drop their guard.
2. Smile innocently when opponent meets eyes.
3. Maintain high ground by standing behind the opponent, who is now relaxing into the chair.
4. Deliver mischievous looks only to witnesses, not to opponent.
5. Swiftly pin arms to the arm of the chair in order to obtain a decisive and clean victory.

And, essentially, here is what went wrong:

1. Opponent's guard remained up.
2. My innocent smile was nothing short of devious.
3. Opponent pulled me over the back of chair so that I fell into his lap, and then I slipped onto the ground in a manner that suggested that I may have become a new, undiscovered state of matter, somewhere between a liquid and a solid.
4. Mischievious look became a pleading look that was promptly ignored by witnesses, who, since the incident, have since reported that I 'had done this to myself.'
5. I am now underneath Viktor and pinned to the ground. (Note: In retrospect, looking at the arms of the opponent, perhaps I may have found some difficulty in effectively pinning him down. Further research will need to be conducted.)