Viktor x Reader

Thirty-Three

"Sir?", you asked, your hands folded in your lap and your back as straight as it has never been before. "Do you need help?"

The huge armchairs in Heimerdinger's office felt like they were made of the purest of leather and the softest of feathers.

You feared that once you leaned back you wouldn't be able to return again.

Heimerdinger stood in front of his bookshelf, back turned towards you, while he went through rows and rows of books.

He seemed to be looking for something, but it was unclear if it was a book or something else.

The shelves that covered his entire office were stuffed with all sorts of things, such as more trophies, certificates, old machines and other things he must have had invented once.

Heimerdinger was a Yordle, a creature that managed to live for much longer than a human ever could.

Surely he's had enough years to invent something great, something besides the glory that was called Piltover itself.

However, the things he had stacked on his shelf didn't seem to be any more different than the things Viktor threw together for fun.

Not that you knew exactly.

"Ah!", Heimerdinger grabbed a stack of paper. "Here it is."

With a proud expression on his furry face, he let the old papers fall onto his desk.

A cloud of dust appeared.

You squeezed your eyes shut and tried to avoid breathing it in.

But it was already too late.

Violently, you started to gasp and cough for air. The vibration was so powerful that it made your lungs ache and your throat dry as the desert.

With one hand pressed to your mouth, you bend over to get rid of the horrible feeling that scratched through the balls of yours eyes.

Tears blurred your vision.

Warm liquid started to fill the palm of your hand.

Small drops of blood seeped through the cracks in your fingers and dripped to the floor.

The coughing eased.

But the pain remained. With every single breath it felt like thousands of needles dug into your flesh and made your chest pull together.

Breathing heavily, you raised your head, eyes marked by deep circles, and wiped the last bit of blood from the corners of your mouth.

Heimerdinger was frozen in shock.

Concern was written all over his face. Yet interest shimmered inside his eyes.

"What is this?", he asked, frowning.

Squeezing your eyes shut, you took a deep breath.

"Death.", you admitted, both bitter yet accepting. "I can't stop it anymore."

"What about doctors?", he asked. "Piltover is well off."

You sighed, annoyed by his inability to understand.

"But I'm not. And I never will be."

"Then what about your friend, Viktor? Once he's out of the academy he'll be able to find good work."

You shook your head.

"I don't have that much time left.", your eyes met his. "I need to make sure Viktor is taken care off before my time runs out. And I need you to give him a chance."

A low sound escaped the creature.

"Very well...", he folded his hands behind his back. "You seem determined. Something impressive, that I always admired about the humans."

"I'm not begging. All I'm asking is for a fair chance."

"And he shall get it."

Surprised, your eyes widened.

At loss for words, you had to lean back and stare at him for a long moment.

Short, hasty breaths left your dry and cracked lips.

It felt like your entire body was on fire.

It felt like you were about to die.

Maybe that would have been better.

Maybe death would be better.

A deep, yet exhausted, breath escaped your lips. You closed your eyes and shook your head slightly.

This was exhausting.

Continuing to be was exhausting.

With his eyes lowered in compassion, Heimerdinger approached you, the papers in hand.

You reached out to take them, but hesitated as your gaze fell onto the blood stained fingers of yours.

Swallowing hard, you clenched the hand into a fist to keep it from shaking.

"Would you be kind enough to tell me what that is?", you asked Heimerdinger with a tired smile.

He hesitated. His eyes examined your face.

He nodded.

"It's a letter of application.", he said.

Your eyebrows rose.

"An official offer to join the academy?"

"Well... Yes. With this he will be able to skip the tests before the final entrance exam."

"He'll be treated like someone from Piltover."

"Not exactly. But he will have the same starting point. If he makes it through the entrance exam, he'll enter the academy like one of them. He won't have to earn his place for the exam. This is his place."

"Assigned by you?", your field of vision started to blur with relief and happiness.

Heimerdinger nodded.

"I signed it personally.", he confirmed and put the papers in an envelope to hand it to you again. "This is a sign of my affection."

You took the envelope.

He didn't let go.

For a moment, the two of you just stared at the smooth surface, both holding one edge.

Not a single word was said.

Silence filled the room like water filled the ocean.

"Affection...", you mumbled as if in trance, a soft smile on your face. "What a strange thing to say about a stranger..."

Agreeing, Heimerdinger closed his eyes and lowered his head.

"Indeed it is.", he said and finally let go. "I've seen something in that Viktor. His eyes shine. He's still young. His spirit is still... hungry for more."

A soft huff escaped your slightly parted lips.

"He'll change this city for the better.", you said and got up without even shaking hands goodbye. "He's... so much more."

With sorrow written all over his face and his ears hanging low, Heimerdinger watched as you put all your last strength into pushing the huge doors of his office open.

"I must thank you, professor.", you threw a glance over your shoulder. "I didn't expect you to have pity on a dying thief."

A sigh escaped him.

"And I didn't expect to find a diamond buried in the dirt.", he hummed. "The Arcane sure does have strange ways."