Fallible Creatures🌅

Glass House⚖️

Summary: Viktor got some less than stellar news at his latest doctor's visit and it's put him in a sour mood, inadvertently taking it out on you. You know better than to let his distance and attitude drive a wedge in the relationship so you brainstorm a way to bring you both even closer, taking his prognosis to heart and letting him know you're not going anywhere.

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Looking through stained glass windows in the foyer of your home, Viktor can be seen slowly approaching the front door after leaving his dreaded appointment. He insisted you stay behind just this once and that he would be back before you knew it but the way he's been speaking to you lately has you over encumbered. Those eyes hold immense weight and conceal a great sorrow that he taxes himself with daily. He forgets sometimes that he has nothing to prove when he's with you.

Viktor is on the porch now, you can hear him wiping his feet accompanied with the guiding tap of his cane but he doesn't step inside just yet. Suspenseful silence has you holding your breath, itching to see him walk through the threshold. Concerned about his long pause on the porch, you begin to advance towards the door and reach for the handle but he beats you to it, opening it up to your bright face welcoming him back.

"Oops! Sorry. I got excited and couldn't wait." Viktor walks past you, almost dodging your embrace after seeing you impatiently posted at the door. It's not like him to be so dismissive, denying your usual hug but you brush it off nonetheless. "So, how did it go?" You ask a genuine question, expecting him to have a clean bill of health despite his usual chronic complications but Viktor keeps his back turned, clenching his fists on the kitchen counter.

"It doesn't matter." His voice is so despondent, gruff and labored with pain and your heart aches when he continues. "I was actually planning to talk to you about something else."

"Oh? What is it?" The trepidation in your voice is impossible to hide as you close the door and walk a little closer.

"I don't think... I should see you anymore." The hesitation and lack of eye contact tells you that Viktor can't truly believe what he says. Someone as forthright as him, it's out of character to take this underhanded approach to concluding your relationship.

"What?" The disbelief in your response sends a dagger of guilt into his heart. As much as he would like to hide the effect this separation could have on him, he can't bear to be the source of your heartbreak. Sadly, it is the only option in his mind.

"With my advanced research, I'm not going to have the time for frivolous things like relationships anyway. I hope you can understand." Interesting word he chose: 'frivolous'. How dare he try to reduce what you've share to an insulting little word like that.

"What the hell are you talking about? When has that ever been a problem? You act like we don't already stay up all night keeping each other company while we work. Does all that mean nothing to you?" The creeping impulse to mourn all the midday nap times and after-dark experiment sessions clouds your mind. This can't be the end. You won't let it come to that.

"The things I need to do," Viktor tears his gaze away from yours, "It would be better if I did them... alone." No wonder he asked you to stay behind this time. You had a hunch that he was acting differently. There has to be a source for his want to make such an irrational decision.

"Where is this coming from? Did something happen at the appointment?" That's the only explanation for his hot temper because he was not this angry before.

"That's not your concern!" He sharply speaks a few notches louder than usual, striking his cane on your hardwood floors and you're taken aback by the sudden display of aggression. Viktor is typically so docile and reticent. This outburst shocks you and his eyes momentarily soften with regret before turning around, face shifting back into his initial grimace.