Viktor x Reader

Six

The mood turned.

As you two returned to the dark, gloomy sides of the Undercity, Viktor seemed like he tried to avoid you.

Every time you looked to check on him and your eyes met  accidentally, he turned his gaze to the ground.

Sighing, you turned away.

It was no use to confronting him, he'd just get defensive and start an argument. It would only lead to the two of you being angry at one another.

He needed some time to himself.

Preferably, he would use that time to think about the invite to the academy. Something like this was worth more than thousands of coins.

To you, it was a no-brainer that he took the chance and tried to get to the Topside.

But Viktor shared a different kind of opinion. Probably because he didn't know about your medical condition.

Yet again, if you told him he would probably throw the chance away without batting an eye.

"Wanna go for a drink?", you asked and threw a glance over your shoulder, a fake smile on your lips.

He shrugged.

"Why?", he asked and stopped at the crossroad.

To the left, the path was muddy and uneven. It lead right into the shadowy parts of Zaun, where the small place called home was hidden.

Right ahead was the main road that only idiots liked to use. Usually, a bunch of enforcers wandered it up and down to create a false sense of security.

Most people in the Undercity felt threatened by the presence of Topside's dogs. But there was also no way to get rid of them without risking a war between both cities.

To the right was a small alley. Neon lights crawled over the cracked tiles of the street.

"It's your birthday.", you said and gestured towards the bright lights. "Let's have a drink."

"You don't drink."

"That's a lie. I don't like to drink."

Sarcastically, he raised an eyebrow.

"That's not really a difference.", he noted and rolled his eyes. "Just one."

You huffed.

"Yeah, sure. Because that's how it works."

A sigh rolled from his lips.

"As long as you take care of the fistfights, I don't care how much we have.", he gifted you one of those cocky smirks that he always had on his face when he used his limping leg as an advantage.

Surprised, you raised both eyebrows.

"Can I rethink my offer?", you asked.

"No.", he smirked and walked ahead.

As a born and raised Zaunite, fighting wasn't the issue. You knew how to punch someone and break some bones.
But you weren't skilled per se. Whenever someone tried to jump you it was more of a reflex to use the most brutal of forces.

Even though the Undercity was a place of violence and misery, the people didn't appreciate when someone hurt their own kin.

A bar fight shouldn't end in murder. Unless that person wanted to cause a massacre.

The thought was enough to make you shiver. Swallowing hard, you forced your legs to stop shaking and went after him.

Viktor knew how to take care of himself, but that didn't change the fact that the limb in his leg made him appear like an easy target.

You preferred to stay by his side and prevent anything from happening beforehand.

The alley was packed with people. Eyes watched everywhere while ears kept listening through the cracks in the walls.

Every single snippet of information was worth something in the Undercity.

With your head lowered, you politely pushed past every person until Viktor's familiar dark hair came into sight.

He was surprisingly fast on his feet compared to his usual speed. He must have craved a drink for quite some time and just didn't want to admit it.

The neon lights brightened the darkness.

Dull noises started to fill the streets. Mud and trash crunched below every step.

Viktor was struggling to keep his posture straight. He had trouble to walk with his back straightened anyways, most of the time his shoulders were bent and he put more weight on the cane to support himself.

That way, Viktor always walked slightly sideways and tilted to the front.

One wrong step and the muddy ground would make him slip.

Out pf worry, you wanted to put an arm under his shoulder to support him.

But he would have take it as an act of pity.

Viktor almost had no self esteem yet he hated when people took care of him. He always wanted to do it himself.

For the longest time you worried that one day he would decline a helping hand and would fall into a bottomless pit from which he would never return.

But at the same time you admired how dedicated he was.

You just wanted to look out for him.

A bitter huff escaped your lips. You did see the irony in it, Viktor being too stubborn to burden you while you were just the same.

Unconsciously, you put a hand on your chest.

The air of the Undercity wasn't just polluted but also dry and dusty.

Every single breath scratched inside your lungs. But at the same time it made you feel like your lungs pulled together.

Sometimes, a sharp pain stabbed you.

The beating of your heart didn't feel normal anymore either. It was too fast, too slow and sometimes even skipped beats.

Every time that happened, your body ket you know by chasing a dry cough and some blood up your throat.

You tried to hold it in, Viktor was close enough to hear.

As you did so, thin strands of blood dripped from of your lips.

Immediately, you wiped the trails with the back of your hand.

For a brief second, you examined the stains.

The shade of red didn't seem healthy either. It was quite dark, almost blackish and smelled of rotten meat.

Your fingers were shaking.

For a long time you had brushed the sickness off as something that came with living in Zaun. But your condition had worsened to an extend that it was just cruel.

In front of the neon sign of the bar, Viktor stopped and threw a glance over his shoulder to check on you.

"Why so gloomy?", he asked.

Torn from your thoughts, you blinked.

"Nothing...", smiling, you hid your bloodstained hand from his gaze. "I was just asleep."

You didn't tell him it was a nightmare.

You never did.