Mechanical heart (Viktor x OC)

13

They had been eating cake and talking for a few hours when Aya and Estrid had to leave due to them needing to babysit Estrid's brother for the evening. She had given clear instructions for Elvira to stay in the lab until she was going home to sleep, and for Jayce and Viktor to keep an eye on her to make sure she was well. 

She had also been checking on her every ten minutes to see if she had gotten worse, and Elvira was almost relieved that her friend was leaving. "I love her, but she's a pain," Elvira groaned after Aya had left. "You should be glad someone is looking after you like she does," Jayce said while moving between two different tables. "I am, it just gets a lot sometimes," she rubbed her face. 

She wasn't feeling sick, her chest just felt a little heavy, but that was probably due to her magic. She was very tired, but that was also normal for her. The only difference from how she normally felt when she'd overused her magic, was her coughs. They weren't that bad, just small ones, but enough to worry Aya. Not to mention Jayce, who was trying to hide his worry, as he didn't want to argue with Elvira again, but she could see through his lies. Viktor was difficult to read as always. Aya had made it seem like Elvira was dying.

"What are you two working on?" she asked as she snuggled under the blanket Aya made Jayce get her. "We're just finishing up the stabilizer. It needs to look good when we present it to the council," Jayce grinned, proud of their hard work. Elvira stood up from the sofa and pulled the blanket around her shoulders before she walked over to where the two were working.

She looked at the contraption standing on the table and was about to ask about how it worked when there was a knock on the door, followed by it being opened. Elvira, Jayce, and Viktor all turned around to see counselor Mel Medarda standing neatly in front of them, dressed to perfection as always. Elvira suddenly felt like a blob in comparison. 

"Good evening," she greeted them. "Oh, um counselor Medarda! What a pleasure to- uh meet you, can I help you?" Jayce fumble with his words causing Elvira to look at him questionably. What in the world was that? she thought to herself. 

"I can see you are working diligently with the stabilizer," she observed, causing Jayce to nod in response. Viktor let out a sigh at his stupid behavior and decided to take over. "We are done in fact," he said and Medarda looked over to him instead of Jayce, who was making a fool of himself. 

"That is exactly why I am here," she smiled at them. "The council have decided that we will have a celebration, where you will present hextech to the people of Piltover. Let them know about the great times ahead," she gestured towards the hundreds of sketches and brainstorms of inventions that would use hextech technology. 

"A celebration? When?" Elvira asked, never having attended any sort of formal event in Piltover before. "In about two weeks' time. Should the stabilizer be approved that is, but I have no doubt it will," she looked at the invention one last time before turning towards the door. "I am looking forward to your presentation for the council tomorrow boys, get a good night's rest," she almost purred before heading back towards the door. "Wait," Jayce yelled after her, before sprinting out of the lab to follow her.

"What was that about?" Elvira asked still looking at the open door. "He had a crush it seems," Viktor stated before turning around and sighing. "Something wrong?" she asked and he shook his head while letting out a slight chuckle.

"I don't care for big gatherings and parties. Too many people who askes you stupid questions. It's a waste of time," he thought aloud as Elvira sat down on the stool Jayce had sat on before he left. "I see your point, but I also think it's important to show the people all the good things that are coming in the future, don't you agree?" Elvira said as she picked up one of the sketches for a teleportation device.

"I think Jayce can handle that sort of thing very well on his own." "Talk to him about it, say you're not comfortable with being a part of the speech, and I'm sure he'll understand," Elvira smiled. "I will," he simply said before he looked over at Elvira, who was seconds away from passing out. 

"Should I walk you to your apartment? I think Aya would murder me if I let you walk there alone," Viktor offered and Elvira slowly nodded in response. 

"You don't look too good, shouldn't you see a doctor?" he asked as they were walking down the streets of Piltover. "It's just a cold, nothing to worry about," she brushed him off. "If you say so," he didn't want to push her any further, seeing as Aya had been pretty intense to her the entire day. 

"So what are your plans with the hextech now that you're done with the stabilizer?" Elvira asked as they walked closer to her apartment. "Depends on the council. We will brief some ideas with them I suppose, and then we'll figure it out," he answered, not sure about the answer to that question himself. 

"Must be stressful, have that much weight on your shoulders," Elvira thought aloud. "It is, but as long as you're doing it for a good reason, the weight never breaks you," he said before stopping. Elvira looked up and realized they were at their destination. "Good night Elvira," he said as he started turning around. "Wait," she called out, and he turned back around to face her. "Come in for some tea?" she grinned at him. "Weren't you tired?" he asked and she shook her head. "The walk here woke me up a little." 

Viktor accepted her offer, and he sat down on the sofa while Elvira was brewing the tea. She grabbed one of the serving trays she had gotten as a gift for her 17'th birthday from her father, which he had bought from a woodcarver in Ixtal. She placed the teapot, two cups, a small jug of milk, a little bowl of sugar, and two spoons on the serving tray before she carefully picked it up and walked over to the sofa. 

"That's beautiful," Viktor said as he looked at the serving tray. It was made from a dark sturdy wood, carvings of vines and flowers adorning the wood. "Thank you, it was a gift. It's from Ixtal," she explained as she poured the tea into the cups. 

"Your father has been all over the world it seems," Viktor said as he trailed his fingers along one of the carvings, feeling its soft edge. "Such beautiful craftsmanship," he mumbled more to himself, but Elvira smiled at how fascinated he was with the serving tray. "You will love this one then," she smiled as she stood up, and walked over to a bookshelf. 

Viktors eyes widened in surprise and amazement as she placed a carved wood statue on the table. The figure was of the wolf and lamb of the kindred spirit. "I made that one when I was ten, I wanted to use my hands to create something wonderful, so I started carving figures out of wood," she explained, Viktor studying the figure while listening to her story. 

"The wood was once magical, but the magic is long gone now. All my sculptures were made from magical wood, from trees that had died or been damaged. I would bring new life to it by creating art," she smiled at the memory. 

"You keep surprising me Elvira, you have many talents," he complimented her. "Thank you," she said as she took a sip of her tea. "It's funny actually," Viktor chuckled. "What is?" "We've worked together for almost a year, spending many late nights working, but I still know so little of you." "I could say the same of you," Elvira placed her cup on the table. 

"There's is not much interesting to tell about me I'm afraid, not that you don't already know," Viktor blew softly on his tea before taking a sip of his own tea. "I don't believe that," Elvira spoke softly. "I believe humans are art. We're all crafted differently, with our own flaws and mistakes, in different shapes and colors, and we all are different on the inside," she spoke with the wisdom of an old soul. 

It wasn't hard to tell she grew up in Ionia. The way she speaks gives it away. Wise words, artistic views on life, such a kind and caring soul. It was calming to listen to. She was calming to be around. 

They both finished their tea before Viktor headed back to the lab, and Elvira headed to bed. The next few days, Aya didn't let Elvira leave the bed, and she spent all that time thinking. She was thinking about both good stuff and bad stuff. About inventions, about Zaun, about hextech, and about her family in Ionia. She needed to visit them soon before her grandmother passed.

Maybe next year.